Alien
by ahsokanerd
Summary: Ahsoka mysteriously ends up on planet Earth, where nobody knows who or what she is.
1. In Another's Care

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

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Chapter 1: In Another's Care

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"Is she awake? It's a she, right?"

"Yes. She seems to be coming round."

_Ugh, my head hurts. _Ahsoka opened her eyes, and saw that she was in a medical room of some sort. She was the only one in the room, and there was a tightly bolted metal door. There was a glass window that a human man and women were looking at her intently through, a curious look on their faces.

/You'd think that they'd never looked at a Togruta before./ muttered Ahsoka in her native language.

She sat up, taking in her condition. She had a bruised lekku in one of the sensitive areas and a broken arm, which was in a cast. _Well at least it isn't that bad._

Ahsoka turned to the women in the glass, while the man left to go somewhere. "Thank you for helping me. I assume I am a prisoner here though, right?"

"Uhh..." The women looked surprised. "Well. I, um, don't really know... you see... you're not human, so we thought you couldn't speak our language."

It was Ahsoka's turn to be surprised. "Seriously, you thought I couldn't speak your language because I was Togurta, and not human? It may not be my native language, but I can certainly speak basic. That's one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard." The women seemed a little flustered. "No offense," Ahsoka added.

"None taken, I guess," replied the women. "I guess you're not a prisoner, but we thought that it would be wise to keep you in here… for now, until we know that you're safe to be around."

"Right," Ahsoka muttered out-loud to herself. She sensed that the women felt... awkward and confused. "_Huh. This keeps getting weirder and weirder," _she thought. They was she was looking at her was very uncomfortable.

Ahsoka looked at the human woman in the eyes and asked, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The woman stopped staring. "Uh, nothing. Sorry. It's just that you are so, um, unique."

Then she had an idea. "Have you ever seen one of my species?"

"Of course not. Uh, I mean no, I haven't. You see, nobody has ever seen an alien like yourself before."

"I'm not an alien! How DARE you call me that? I am a Togruta! How insulting." Ahsoka turned, and sat down, deeply offended.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be offensive. I didn't know," she said, and she did seem truly sorry about what she had said.

Ahsoka knew that she wasn't lying. "It's ok, I guess. I forgive you. Is there anyone I can talk to that can explain to me what is going on?"

The women looked relieved. "Thank you," she said "Unfortunately, we can't talk just yet. I'll be the one who will be with you most of the time while you are here before, I don't know, something else happens."

"Well ok. I'm sorry, this is just weird for me," said Ahsoka. "I'm a former Jedi, and everyone is acting like they've never seen anyone like me before. For what you said, it looks like you haven't. By they way, have you anything for me to eat? I'm really hungry."

"Oh yes, of course. I forgot to give you your dinner." The women then took a tray and pushed to towards Ahsoka through a slot in the window. She looked at the tray. "_They aren't kidding. They have no idea what a Togurta is."_

On the tray were mashed potatoes, pees, and steak. Anyone who had known what a Togurta was would have not put the pees or mashed potatoes on the tray. Togruta can eat only meat, as they are carnivores species. It's not like they don't like anything that isn't meat - they simply cannot eat it, even if they tried.

Deciding not to press the matter, Ahsoka simply said, /Thank you./

The women nodded, assuming that whatever she had said was a sign of thanks. "Ok, I'll be right back. Enjoy your meal. Oh, my name is Rebecca. I'll be taking care of you for the next few days."

Ahsoka thought for a moment. _"Is it safe for me to say my name?"_ Deciding that it was, she smiled back. "Nice to meet you Rebecca. My name is Ahsoka. Ahsoka Tano."

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Always wanted to write this. This story will have multiple chapters. I'm not sure how long it will end up, as it mainly depends on where I take this. For those wondering, I will NOT be basing it off of any alien movies of whatever. No, I'm not setting it in the 1950s. The year is 2013, and the Star Wars movies do not exist (only reason for that is so that nobody recognizes her species). Anyway, let me know what you think!

P.S. Being called an alien is an insult to any non-human species in the Star Wars universe. If it isn't, well, I'm making it one right now. This story starts of after The Wrong Jedi.

Update #1: Changed around the format, and fixed some spelling errors. I also enlarged the chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

_"I know."_

_With those words, Ahsoka left the Jedi Temple forever, and she knew it. A tear fell down her cheek. Then, she descended the temple steps. Once she was our of anyone's sight, a huge hole of some sort opened underneath her. Nothing would stop her fall... and then she woke up here._

Ahsoka thought what had happened. Nothing made sense to her still. _Have I been kidnaped by some of my old enemies? _While that seemed like the more logical explanation, a few things didn't add up.

First of all, she certainly wasn't being treated like an enemy. Usually her enemies liked to yell and scream in her face, before torturing her. They would also use handcuffs or medications to cut her connection to the force, but whoever was keeping her where she was hadn't done that. Which made no sense at all, because she was being "contained," as they called it.

Finally, her room wasn't ray shielded. Everyone knew who would win in a battle of the force vs. metal. The force. Since they hadn't done so, Ahsoka assumed that these people were really stupid, or just being nice. Any way it was, she wasn't in danger. _That's a relief._

"Hello Ahsoka." Ahsoka looked up. Rebecca was back, and she had someone, a female, with her. "This is Maddie, my assistant. We will be asking you some questions. If you don't mind, we'd like to come inside."

Ahsoka shrugged. She didn't think she had much choice. Two guards came in first, and then the two women. She eyed the guards suspiciously. _Are they going to torture me for questions? _She didn't think so though. The women only seemed curious. _Curious? Why are they curious?_

Both Rebecca and Maddie were trying to act natural, that much Ahsoka could tell. But they were studying her body closely, which was very apparent. She felt very uncomfortable with this behavior. The two guards went to the back of the room. They had helmets on, but she could sense their curiosity as well.

"I see you have eaten your meat well, Ahsoka. Why aren't you touching anything else?" asked Maddie. Ahsoka almost wanted to choke Maddie for asking such a dumb question, but she refrained from doing so.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm a Togruta. We can eat only meat." Rebecca seemed to be writing everything down. "Interesting. Is this a religious thing that you aliens do, or is is because you cannot biologically?"

Ahsoka lost it. Being called an alien once today was enough of an insult. But twice? That was too much. "I'M NOT AN ALIEN," she yelled. At the same time she used to force to hoist the women in the air,and throw her against the wall, but not hard enough to knock her unconscious.

The guards rushed forward, and fired their weapons. They weren't loaded, but the noise was deafening to her lekku. "Ow," cried Ahsoka, hands over her head. She hadn't expected those weapons to be so loud. It was more like the sound of a massive explosion than a blaster.

"Stand down!" The guards had their weapons pointed at Ahsoka's head. "Ok, ok. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. Still, stop being so insulting!" She then proceeded to mutter some insulting words at humans in her native language.

Rebecca had ran over to Maddie, and was now helping her get up. "You're ok I think," she said. "Just some minor bruises." She nodded her thanks, and then they both went over and sat down again. The guards still had their rifles pointed at a knelling Ahsoka's head.

While Maddie and Rebecca seemed very surprised, and Ahsoka didn't need the force to tell this one by the looks on their faces, they tried their best to remain calm. _This keeps getting weirder and weirder. And they are insulting me now!_

Ahsoka spoke to them, hands behind her head, with the guards still pointing their guns at her. "I'm sorry, but if you want to talk to me, you're going to have to stop acting dumb and stop being insulting. Get it?"

Maddie was nervous, but wasn't showing it. "Ahsoka, please understand that we are not trying to be insulting. And," she said with a bit of laughter in her eyes, "we certainly are not trying to be dumb."

Ahsoka again realized that the women was telling the truth, but just couldn't believe it."You're kidding, right? I mean, how can you not know about my species? Even if you do, seeing me doesn't exactly warrant for all of this," she said gesturing to her so-called "secure" room.

Ahsoka continued. "It's not like I'm the only non-human out there, you know. There are thousands of different species of humanoids, and you know it. You should be acting like you are acting when you see something you haven't before. Finally, calling me an alien is extremely insulting. Don't EVER call me that again. I'm surprised that you haven't been killed when you said that to anyone else. Now let me go and I'll be on my way."

Rebecca signaled to the guards to stop pointing their rifles at her. "No, please stay. It's very important." Ahsoka snorted. "You know I can kill you and escape from here without even really trying, right?"

"Yes, we've gathered as much. It was a risk we decided was worth taking this job," said Maddie. Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "Who hired you? Count Dooku? General Grievous? You're not getting any secret information from me, if that's what you're trying to do."

"No, we're not. Let me try to explain, and if you find any part of what I am about to say to you insulting, please know that I don't mean it," said Rebecca. "We are both scientists who have been hired by the United States to learn more about you and other a-, er, others of your type. You see, you were discovered yesterday in the middle of an airbase in Delaware. You seemed to have fallen from something, and had broken your arm."

Maddie then continued where Rebecca had left off. "You see, we have never seen anyone who isn't human before. So finding you was no less than a miracle. When we first took you in here, we assumed that you were just some kid in a costume. We realized very quickly that you were not. The United States swore us to secrecy, and told us to meet you. and you know the rest of the story from there."

Ahsoka was dumbfounded. She didn't know a planet could be so primitive. They'd only seen other humans before? They must have never even left the planet!

"From what you just said, I gather that we have a lot to learn," said Rebecca. Ahsoka realized that she had spoken her thoughts out loud. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," she said. "Can you let me go now? I'd like to get back to the senate on Coruscant. I have a friend I was hoping to meet there."

"I'm sorry," said Maddie, "we don't have anything that could get you to that place, wherever it is. Besides, letting you out into the world could prove... dangerous. People may not act appropriately when they see someone like yourself in public."

Ahsoka nodded. This was crazy, but she believed what they were saying. "Could you at least let me wander around this facility? It might help me learn more about you and you learn about me a lot better, than in chairs in a room."

"Sure, I think we can try that," said Rebecca. "Can you promise you won't run away?"

"Nope," grinned Ahsoka. "No offense, but I'm not really afraid of you and your security here." Maddie nodded. "Understood. Well, I guess we should let you walk around the place. It's not like we can keep you anywhere."

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Two chapters down, who knows how many left to go! These two chapters were SO boring, I know. I had to put it in though to give it some background. Things get more interesting as time goes on. Please review!


	3. Meeting with The President

**Chapter 3: Meeting with The President**

The group went out of the room shortly, with the two guards surrounding them. "Are you sure that you don't want any more guards while traveling the airbase?" asked Maddie. "While these men and women are trained to handle the unexpected, you are very unexpected."

Ahsoka laughed. "If anyone tries to mess with me, they'll regret it quite quickly. I used to be a commander in the military, and a Jedi padawan. I'm not the type of person that can get kicked around easily."

Maddie's POV

I nodded, and said that she had to go speak to someone, and that Rebecca would stay with her. Rebecca knew that it wasn't just a "someone" that I had to speak to. The scientific team with us was going to brief the President on what we had discovered about this... thing.

Well I guess I knew what she was, sort of. She said was a Togruta. Right. The thing is, that is a name. Names don't give us that much information. However, from our little talk, a blood test, x-rays and scans we had preformed on her, we knew quite a bit.

After I had walked down the hallway for some time, I turned to my left. The door had a fingerprint scanner and passcode keypad on it. I scanned my finger and typed in the passcode. Why we had to be so tight-lipped about this was quite simple.

I had known that if word got out publicly that an alien was on Earth, people would overreact. Or just think that I was a lunatic, along with the rest of government. North Korea claimed that it had discovered a unicorn lair. Now while we knew that was just downright stupid, wouldn't others think the same of us?

Sorry Ahsoka. I need to stop calling her an alien. Wherever she is from, clearly it is an insult. I thought back to when she had pushed me against the wall on the other side of the room - without moving a muscle or even touching me. That was creepy. Was it something all her kind could do, or only a few? I would have to find that out later.

The door opened, and I was inside.

Normal POV

"Good morning everyone. Mr. President," said Maddie. She had just walked into the room. She sat down at the end of the table. At the head of the table was President David Danho, the first asian president of the United States.

"Good morning, Miss Davenport. Alright, I think we should get started. What do you know?" asked the President.

One of the scientist who handled the analyzing of her body scans spoke. "In regards to her biology, very little I'm afraid. We have all seen and have been watching the recordings of her interactions with everyone, and that is giving us helpful information. Her, um, things, let's call them head tails for now, seem to act almost like ears. But they are also a bit bat like."

Maddie then spoke. "Yes, they do seem to be bat-like. When Ahsoka started acting up, the guards fired off a warning shot into the air. I was surprised to see that it seemed to cause her great pain. They must be sensitive to loud noises like that. Speaking of which, I should instruct the soldiers not to do that around her in the future."

The President nodded. "Yes, we must be careful around the alien. We don't want her to be damaged by some careless mistake of ours. I am glad none of you gave her any medicine too. That could be dangerous."

The group nodded. Maddie turned to speak to the President. "I don't mean to be rude sir, but we shouldn't call her an alien. She seems very, very offended when she gets called that. I suggest that we call her by her name, Ahsoka, and when referring to what she is, Toguta. That's what she said she was."

Everyone in the room agreed, but they could help but laugh when Maddie had said "very, very offended." A man in the room spoke. "I think 'offended' is an understatement. While I hate to say this, she did attack you. Now, we must take into account what Ahsoka said. If it is indeed an extremely rude insult, she certainly did not attack you without being provoked."

Maddie nodded. "I agree. But I'm selfishly glad I did insult her. Had I not, we would have never seen that unique ability of some sort that she has. Throwing someone across the room without even moving or touching the person? That pretty impressive. It felt like she was grabbing me, but I knew she wasn't. I do know that it wasn't by any invisible object. We had heat and movement recorders in the room, and nothing showed up there. Plus, my clothing didn't look like an object was grabbing it."

"Yes, that was a little crazy, I think we can all agree there," said President Danho. "Now, what I found to be one of the most interesting things about her is that she said she used to a commander in her military! What's great about that is that we know we have someone who knows a lot. Not a ton, but it is likely that she knows more than the average Togrutan."

"Agreed. She also said she used to be a Jedi. I have no idea what that means, but it's likely something to do with the military as well. Now we must all continue to keep quiet about this, for your sake, and Ahsoka's sake," said Maddie. "Is there anything left that we have not yet covered?"

"Yes," said the President. "I'd like to know if any of you have discovered why she can only eat meat, as she just claimed a few minutes ago."

"Not really, but I have a few ideas and things that confirm what she said," said the man who had spoken about her biology earlier. "I did some quick checking, and she doesn't appear to be lying. When I looked closely at her teeth, I saw that they were all very sharp. Also, her digestive system is short. That means that she cannot digest the tough callous form in plants. That confirms her claim that her species eats meat only."

President Danho stood up and said, "Ok great. Make sure people know what to feed her now then. This meeting adjourned."

Always wanted to do a story with the President in it :) The names of Maddie and Rebecca are in honor of my sisters of the same name. As you might have guessed, President David Danho's first name is in honor of my adopted brother David. Meetings are boring, but I find going into biology talk is kinda fun. Not that I like biology, but in a story it always seems fascinating to me.

This is the first time I've ever had a story change POVs temporarily. If you hated it, let me know. If not, let me know :P It was the only way I felt like I could change the scenery. Before, I would only show the part of the story that the main character can see.


	4. Continued Conversation with Rebecca

Chapter 4: Continued Conversation with Becca

While Maddie left for the meeting, Rebecca and Ahsoka went outside. The latter was very surprised when she saw the weaponry that they had. "You weapon technology is much less advanced then ours." Rebecca perked her ears up and took our her notepad at hearing this. Ahsoka eyed her curiously. "What are you doing Becca?"

Rebecca smiled, noticing the shortened name. "Just taking notes. See?" She handed her the notepad. "No, I don't Sorry, but I can't read that. It doesn't look like Basic," said Ahsoka. Her eye markings were furrowed, trying to read it. "No, its English. You know, the same language you are using to speak to me right now."

Ahsoka still looked confused. "Maybe your version of basic has a different alphabet then mine. I don't recognize any parts of the writing." Rebecca looked at her curiously. "Do you mind showing me what you're writing for both of your languages look like?"

"Not at all. Do you have something to write on?" Rebecca handed Ahsoka a pen a piece of paper. _They are really behind. They still use paper!_ She grabbed the pen and wrote in Togruta: This paper is old fashioned. My name is Ahsoka Tano. Then, in basic, she wrote the same thing.

"See?" Ahsoka hoped she would recognize one of them, but she sensed her inability to decipher what any of them said. "No, I'm sorry. I can't read any of them." _Ugh. One less way for me to communicate with these people. _"Ok, as you were saying," said Rebecca, trying to get the topic back onto the weapons. "Your military technology is more advanced then ours?"

"Yes, it certainly is," replied Ahsoka. "Our star fighters don't have wheels first of all. Why you have wheels on yours, I'll never know. Secondly, ours are fit for travel in space. Again, yours does not. Another thing I noticed was that your fighters don't shoot lasers blasts like ours do. What do your star fighters shoot?"

Rebecca was startled by this response. She had figured that Ahsoka's species was more advanced, but not this advanced. "Our airplanes shoot missiles and bullets. Bullets are round balls of metal that can sometimes explode on impact. Could you tell me more about what your military is capable of?"

"Only what I can tell you," Ahsoka smirked. Then she frowned. "But it isn't my military. At least not anymore. We have 100 _Vector-_class star destroyers, thousands of tanks, and an army of human clone troopers approximately 10 million strong. There is so much, really. The Republic's enemy, the Separatists, uses battle droids instead of clones. They have an army, oh I don't know, 50 million strong now?"

Rebecca was startled before, but not she was in total shock now. "You... you use clones?" Ahsoka eyed the women closely, not sure how much she could say. "Of course we do. The cloners on Kamino created them for the Republic to fight the Separatists."

Rebecca was wide-eyed. "Your technology is so much better than ours." Ahsoka laughed. "Believe me, I noticed. Sometimes it can be quite annoying too." Rebecca noticed the change of languages. "Was that your native language?"

"Yes, it was. It's Togruti."

"So tell me. How does a commander in such a huge military end up here?" Rebecca had been wanting to ask this question forever, and she finally decided to just ask. After all, if she refused to answer, it wasn't like anything would happen.

Ahsoka looked sad, and sat down cross-legged. "It's a long story. I don't really know. I'll give you the shortened version. Two weeks ago there was a bombing at the Jedi Temple. I ended up getting blamed for it, even though I hadn't. I decided to run, because I knew that I'd be executed unfairly. I failed to do so, and was caught. I was about to get executed, when my master discovered who had really done it."

Ahsoka took a deep breath, and continued. "I was shocked to find that my friend Barriss Offee had betrayed me, and set me up. What is worse though is that the Jedi Order betrayed me. They thought I had been guilty, even though I had been nothing but trustworthy since I was brought to them when I was two years old. I resigned. As I was walking away from the temple, a portal of some sort opened beneath my feet. I fell into it, and then woke up in here."

Ahsoka sighed. "I'll never forget what happened to me. I've been through a lot in my sixteen years. But I will never forget what happened to me. Nor will I forget the last words I heard from Barriss or my master."

Rebecca looked concerned. She could tell that Ahsoka had suffered a lot._ I should talk about this to everyone else._ "Please don't, Becca. You can tell Maddie if you wish, but not anyone else. It's my private life. I hope you understand."

"Did you just read my thoughts?" Rebecca was surprised that Ahsoka knew what she was going to do. "Yes. You haven't heard of Jedi before, have you?" Rebecca shook her head. Ahsoka continued. "Well, I am, or rather used to be, one of them. The Jedi Order searches the galaxy for babies who show signs of being what's called force-sensitive. It means that they can move things without touching them, sense emotions, read people's minds, and even control their minds if they are weak. That's how I was able to throw Maddie across the room without even touching her."

Becca fainted. Ahsoka wasn't that surprised, although she was a little. People's reactions to things like that could be quite big where she came from. In a world where not a single person knew of its possibility, the level of shock could be even higher. _At least she didn't have a heart attack._

Luckily they were right next to the main building. Ahsoka picked Rebecca up, and slung her over her left side, holding her with her left hand. Using the force to sense the mechanics behind the lock, Ahsoka opened the door.

_Now I just need to find Maddie. Too bad those guards had left us when we went outside. _Turning to her right, Ahsoka sensed Maddie down at the end of the hallway, with a group of other lifeforms, likely human. Walking quickly, she was soon at the end of the hallway.

Ahsoka then used the force to open the door. Maddie was about to walk our, and was surprised the see that she had opened the door without having all the access codes. Her attention was soon on Rebecca though. "What happened to Rebecca," she half-asked, and almost yelled. "What did you do to her?!" Ahsoka looked at the unconscious Rebecca, and then turned to Maddie.

Everyone else who had been in the room with Maddie, were now looking at Rebecca, or at Ahsoka. "Its fine, really. She just asked me some questions, and I answered her. My responses weren't what she expected, so she fainted."

Maddie was relieved that it wasn't anything serious, but now she was curious what Ahsoka had said that made her friend react the way she did. "What did you tell her?" Everyone then sat down to listen to Ahsoka. Quickly, Ahsoka told them what she had said, and her story.

"Did I faint?" Ahsoka had just finished talking, and Rebecca had just woken up. "Yes, you did," said Ahsoka. "Don't worry, you didn't miss much." Rebecca looked very embarrassed, but was able to pick herself up again. "Well now. Thanks for telling us your story."

"You're welcome, but now that I've told you my story, I want to hear what's to become of me," said Ahsoka. "While I appreciate the hospitality, I'm not going to just blindly accept it, if you know what I mean. Growing up in a war certainly taught me one thing. I can never be to careful, and I should always take everything into account."

"Fair enough. Before I tell you what I think we should do, let me introduce myself. I am President David Danho, and will be in charge of this investigation. As you are aware, we have nothing to get you back to your home. It is likely that you will be stuck here for a long time, if not forever."

"I sure hope not," said Ahsoka. "For your sake, I hope so too," said President Danho. "But it's unlikely just the same. I have two suggestions for you. First, you can stay here on this airbase or another government facility where you can be safe. We could learn more about you, and in turn, you could learn more about us. The other option is that I can send you to live with Rebecca and her family. You won't be as well protected there, but we can still both learn from each other. You'd also be living a bit more in the open, so you will get many strange looks, even insults possibly."

Ahsoka sighed, and said, "While none of those two options are something I'd like, I think I will go with the latter."

"It's settled then. Thank you for understanding the situation, Ahsoka." Ahsoka smiled, and said her usual farewell. "May the force be with you."

* * *

Another chapter! I'm looking forward to seeing how she interacts out in the so-called "real world." Public appearances for a Togruta are not something that she will like I'm sure, even in she is just walking down a street or something. In the next chapter Ahsoka goes with Rebecca to her home, the President speaks with his advisors, and the government makes an announcement regarding Ahsoka.


	5. The Press

When you see words like this, it means that those words are being spoken in Togruti.

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Chapter 5: The Press

_July 19, 2013 - 18.9 BBY_

* * *

The President announced that a private meeting would be held with the press that very afternoon with Ahsoka, and she was very nervous. People like Becca, the nickname she had given Rebecca, were trained to handle unusual "things." She knew that the public was not, and she wasn't sure how they would react to her.

_Because it looks like I'm stuck on this planet forever, I hope they like me. I don't want people to despise me. _Togruta felt at home in groups, teams, or with their own people. Feelings of rejection were hard for them to take, and often it would cause them to suffer through a depression.

Yet Ahsoka did not know this. It was simply the nature of her species, and she did not read much on her kind when she was an initiate at the Jedi Temple. Species other than her own were of greater importance, as a Jedi is to serve others, and not themselves.

Ahsoka was in a secure back room, which was in what Rebecca had told her was called "The White House." She had told her that is is where their leader lived and worked, although he did work in two other buildings. _This place is so tiny. _She couldn't help thinking that. Couracant was so much bigger. Washington and Couracant were not even close.

Rebecca walked in. "Nervous?" Ahsoka sighed. I'm not sure what they will think of me, or what questions they'll ask. "What? Sorry, I don't speak Togruti," said Rebecca.

"I'm so sick of translating," complained Ahsoka. "It's been two whole days where I've spoken nothing but basic." Then she reached into her uniform and pulled out her personal datapad. "What is that?" asked Rebecca. "It's a datapad. It like my own personal computer, but smaller. It will translate as I speak into spoken Basic. I'd like to speak in my language right now." Rebecca smiled. "I would actually enjoy doing this. It gives me a chance to learn your language."

Ahsoka turned on the translating feature of the datapad. It supported a limited number of languages, but thankfully it supported hers. Actually, it's impossible for you to ever speak my language. It's to guttural for humans like you, and it uses the lekku. Rebecca was disappointed. "That's sad. I thought it would be nice to speak your language."

Believe me, it would be nice for me too. I hate that there aren't any other Togruta around here. Usually I would get to see one of my people every day, unless I was on a mission away from the temple. When I was on missions, the excitement would shake the feelings of loneliness away, but here, it is boring. No offense.

"None taken," said Rebecca. "So those tails on your head are called, lukas?" She reached out her hand too feel them, but Ahsoka gave a warning hiss, and then spoke in Basic. "Don't ever touch them. They are extremely sensitive, and if you touch them in the wrong spot, it will cause me great pain. They're called lekku, and help me hear and sense movement."

"I'm sorry, I should have asked first," apologized Rebecca. Off-handedly she asked, "Why is your skin orange?" Ahsoka gave a what-a-dumb-question look. Because it gives us better camouflage on my planet. I will turn off the translator now. I am glad I got to speak Togruti to someone for a change.

"We have just a few minutes before we go and talk to the press Ahsoka. If you need to do anything, I'd suggust you do it right away." In hearing this, Ahsoka sat down on the ground to meditate. Rebecca looked at her and prayed that the public would react kindly to her.

_The Oval Office_

"I don't think I should tell the press about her unique powers or the massive military she claims her 'Republic' has," said President Danho. "They might overreact to that."

Secretary of State Susanna Rueflame spoke up. "I agree, sir, However, we cannot completely hide her abilities. She may use them someday, and then what? We'd be in a big mess. While I would hate to do this, I suggust we tell them about her powers today. Might as well reveal everything at once."

The President sighed. "I fear we have little choice, but to go with your suggestion. Call Rebecca so we can fill her and Ahsoka in on what the plan is."

_East Wing Private Press Meeting Room_

The press was getting setup still, but they were almost ready to start. The President, his staff, Maddie, and Rebecca were all preped and ready to go. Ahsoka wasn't so sure. She realized that the amount of people with their eyes and cameras on her would be small, but so much depended on this. Their reactions could almost change the way she lived in the long run.

Everyone walked to the small stage, except Ahsoka stayed in the back to wait to be given the thumbs-up to walk on stage and answer questions. The nervousness was making her feel cold inside. She was glad that she wouldn't be doing most of the talking. Rebecca had told her that she would be answering just a few questions, while the scientists and the President would be talking the most.

President Danho walked onto the small stage. "Good morning," he said. "As you know, this meeting is private for now, and we would like nothing published until you are given the go-ahead. With that in mind, let's get started."

"Three days ago we discovered something at the airbase in Deleware. It was something we thought we would never discover in our lifetimes. Many of us, including myself, thought it wasn't ever possible. After only a few hours, we confirmed the unbelievable. Fellow Americans and citizens of this world, we have discovered that we are not alone in this universe."

A murmur of surprise, and partial disbelief, went throughout the room. The press was expecting something big, but this was not what they had in mind. All the photographers were snapping pictures as fast as they could take them. "To discuss what we have learned and how we learned it, I would like to bring up Dr. Rebecca Birchwood," and the motioned Rebecca forward to the podium.

"Thank you Mr. President. My name is Rebecca Birchwood. My teammate Maddie Howard and I have been working on this for three days now, and have confirmed it's validity. In a different galaxy far, far away from here there is without a doubt, life. There are thousands of unique species, each with their own native language and culture."

"These groups have discovered how to travel across their galaxy, and interact with each other. Each species has their own planet that they are native too. Some of them are peaceful, others are not. But they work together and rule themselves with a Democracy, a Republic. We learned this for a very special reason." Rebecca paused, waiting for all this to sink in before she continued.

"Something from one of these worlds was somehow transported to Earth, and arrived at the airbase in Delaware. It is a Togruta, a humanoid species from the planet Shili. It is a female, and her name is Ahsoka Tano. She speaks Togruti, but luckily she can understand the majority of English, which she calls 'Basic.' However, she cannot read or write it in the way we do. She has her own alphabet for it."

Reporters were stunned. How could this possibly be true? It seems so unlikely that someone from that far away would understand English, let alone even exist. Rebecca had a pretty good guess on what they were thinking, and went into more detail.

"If you will look at the screens to your right or left, I have more detailed information on her species. As I said before, the Togruta are a humanoid species. Ahsoka's skin is orange, but from what she tells me, her species' skin color can be red as well. Unlike humans, they are hairless. On their heads they have head-tails, which she calls 'lekku.' They are almost like ears, and enable them to hear. Interestingly, they also have echo-location using these lekku."

Rebecca went on about the Togruta biology, explaining in as much detail as she could to the press, not forgetting to add that they were only meat-eaters. All the screens showed was an x-ray of Ahsoka's body.

Ahsoka was listening, still behind the seperating noticed a few incorrect details in Becca's presentation, which she would try to remember to tell them to correct later. Still listening, she could tell that Rebecca was about to talk about her personally. This was not something she was looking forward to, but she was glad she didn't have to do it herself.

"I hope that gives you a clue on what little information we know about the Togruta for now. We will be setting up a website soon that will be updated with more information on them and other species we learn about, including their planets and goverments," closed Rebecca. "Now I'd like to invite up Maddie to talk about Ahsoka herself."

Maddie walked up to podium. "Thanks Rebecca," she said. "I'm sure this is a lot for you to take in, but it's actually a lot for Ahsoka to take in as well. Emotionally this is hard on her, as she is used to being around her own kind. Seeing only humans has been hard on her."

"I'd like to speak a little on Ahsoka herself. She is only sixteen years old, and is not a full-grown Togruta from what she tells me. However, she is unique in a very interesting way, that seperates her even from others in her own species. She is what they call a 'force-sensitive."

"Because Ahsoka is 'force-sensitive,' she can move object without even touching them, and read people's minds." The room stirred. People were seriously starting to wonder if this "alien" was safe to be around. "She is also the former commander of a legion called the 501st in her Republic's military. I understand that it her abilities are dangerous, but she is not a dangerous person. She is very nice to be around, and is actually shy."

The press was relieved to hear this, but there were so many unanswered questions that they were anxious to get answered. They were also a little skeptical still. It was coming from the Presedent of the United States, so they knew the source was valid. It seemed so bizarre, just the same. "That's the wrap on her. Mr. President, I believe you have something to say."

The President stood up from his chair to speak. "Yes, I do. There has is a major development in regards to Ahsoka. She came here by mistake, and there is no possibly way for her to go back to her home. Her kind also has no clue that Earth even exists, so they won't be coming for her either. Thus, we have decided that she will live with Dr. Rebecca. We would like to ask the public to treat her kindly and hospitably as they would treat their fellow man."

"Now, I am certain that you have many questions. We don't have time for many, but we do have time for a few. I believe that the best way to get your questions answered, is by speaking to Ahsoka Tano herself. If she would please come out, that would be greatly appriciated. Rebecca will be the one directing the discussion." The second the media heard this, all of them quickly prepaired their cameras to get a glimpse of this strange "creature," and the journalists prepared their questions. They knew now that this could not possibly be a hoax.

Ahsoka walked out from the back, and immediately the cameras started flashing at her. She covered her eyes, walked over to Rebecca, and stood at a mic that had been setup for her. They didn't want her to be at the podium, so the press could get better pictures of her. "You'll do great," whispered Rebecca. Ahsoka knew she would be fine, but she couldn't help being nervous anyway. She had gone through much worse.

Ahsoka was wearing her uniform. While she had been on the airbase she would sometimes wear a medical gown, but she preferred to wear her uniform. It was just what she was used to wearing, even though she was not a Jedi anymore. She had no intentions of changing that.

"Alright, first question," said Rebecca. All the reporters started talking at once, hoping to get the first question. Rebecca looked over the crowd of reporters, looking for someone she knew would ask a good question. Seeing a reporter from the National Geographic, a friend of hers, she signiled them to ask a question. Everyone else in the room quieted down.

"Hello, my name is Ruth Jerokiski, and I'm with the National Geographic. While I have many questions, my first question is this: how is possible, scientifically speaking, for you to read people's minds and move objects without touching them?"

Rebecca knew it would be a good question. Ahsoka looked at the reporter, and spoke. "The force is something that resides in all things. They are microscopic lifeforms called midi-chlorians that are in all of us, that give us access to the force. In rare cases, some lifeforms like myself, have an excess of them in each one of our cells. Those who have them are trained how to control their own midi-chlorians, the midi-chlorians of others, and everything else."

There were a few more questions, all of them good. The last one agitated Ahsoka though. "What's it like being an alien?" She barred and showed her teeth when she heard that question. "First of all, I am not an alien. YOU are, and don't ever call me one. Life as a Togruta Jedi was as 'normal' as it could be until a few weeks ago... but that's another story that I am unwilling to share. I will see what life amoung your people is like. I have only been here three days."

Rebecca decided to wrap up. "Ok, thank you for your time Ahsoka. Before all of you leave, I was to restate what the President said. You cannot say anything at all until you are given to ok. The estimated time you will be given permission to release this information to the public is tomorrow morning at 6AM Eastern Time. Also, Ahsoka may be seen in public on occasions. Please remind the public to treat her respectfully and kindly. Thank you."

With that, the press conference was over. Ahsoka was relieved. It had gone well, and she could sense that people were not going to be hostile towards her. At least not anyone that was in the room. All of them seemed kind, and while they were still not entirely trusting of her, they did trust her. She assumed that part of it was her age, and for once she was grateful that she was still young.

* * *

"Here's where the fun begins." I enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you like it. I finally came up with last names for Rebecca and Maddie. They are completely random, so I hope nothing like it already exists.

I am not entirely certain if a datapad can translate, but it wouldn't surprise me if they could do it (but I'd assume they are limited). I want to note that no humans in this story will be force sensitive. Earth is going to be pretty much like Earth is in real life.

I'm hoping to publish the next chapter this week. This was my longest chapter ever, and I'm very proud of it. Please review! Thanks :)


	6. Breakfast

/When you see text tike this, that means it is in Togruti./

* * *

**Chapter 6: Breakfast**

_July 19 - 20, 2013 - 18.9 BBY_

* * *

As Ahsoka was leaving, the reporter who had asked the first question ran up to Rebecca. "Wait! Rebecca, I would like to speak with you." Rebecca turned around. "Yes, what is it Ruth?" She had a good guess on what she was going to ask. She was right. "I'd like to do an article for the National Geographic with more details on Ahsoka's biology. Scans and things that would be helpful for the scientific community too."

Rebecca smiled. "I was hoping you would ask. I'll ask Ahsoka, and we'll see what we can put together." Ruth was very excited. "All right, thanks! This is an exciting time, isn't it? I never thought this day would come. It's so unbelievable, but it's true! What did you first think when you found her?"

"I didn't know what to think. When we found her lying unconscious on the ground, I first thought it was some elaborate costume. When we slowly realized the truth I was just too stunned to think. I'm sure you are understanding how I felt right now," said Rebecca.

"Yeah, I certainly do. We know what's going to be on the cover of every National Geographic magazine for a long time now, don't we? There are so many more questions now, and many will likely never be answered in out lifetimes, that is for certain." Ruth sighed. "You're so lucky. I mean, you are and possibly will be the only person in the history of our planet to live with an alien."

"I know. It's an exciting opportunity for me." Rebecca noticed that everyone was pretty much gone. "All right, I'll catch up with you later. Oh, and don't forget to not call her an alien. She isn't very happy when people call her that." Ruth grinned. "I'll do my best. Good luck!"

Rebecca hurried to catch up with the others, and President Danho. "I think that went well, sir." The President readily agreed, "Yes, it did go well. Now we have to hope and pray that the press and public reacts appropriately. If today is any indication, things will be smooth overall."

"Sir, the National Geographic wants to do a feature article on Ahsoka's biology. Is it all right for them to write it?" The President glanced at Ahsoka, who was walking with his staff, before responding. "That would be her decision to make, not mine. Whatever she believes is right for her, I will respect." Rebecca nodded. "Thank you sir

* * *

Ahsoka was very tired. The press conference consisted of much less people than she had anticipated, but it had still been a relief to get it over with. As Becca had predicted, questions had been pretty basic. She knew it was far from over though. Once word got out to the public, she would certainty be hammered with questions.

It had been a long day. Pulling out her datapad, Ahsoka put in another entry into her diary. Shaak Ti had given it to her the day she had been chosen as Anakin's padawan. She remembered she had told her.

_You've been a joy to train Ahsoka. I wish you all the best. Before you go to Christophis, I want you to take this. The lightsaber may be your life, but this is for you to record what happens in that life everyday._

Lying on her back in bed typing out an entry to her diary was relaxing for Ahsoka. Ever since she had come to "Earth," things had been busy. It was rare for her to get moments entirely by herself. "Excuse me, Miss Tano. May I come in?" _Perfect moment ruined, _Ahsoka thought to herself.

"Come in," replied Ahsoka. "What do you need?" The man sat down in a nearby chair. He was young, maybe in his early twenties. His hair was a silky orange, and his build was short and muscular. Freckles covered his face. "My name is Eli Davenport. I manage the Department of Public and Foreign Relations for Extra-Terrestrial Affairs, but you can call it the FRETA if you like."

Ahsoka raised her left eye marking in a questioning look. "And...?" Eli then tried to explain is the simplest way possible what that meant. "What that means is that I, along with the rest of FRETA, will be representing you and your position to the public and other nations. The reason I am meeting with you now is so I can get a better understanding of what to say about you in different interviews I'll be participating in over the next coming week."

Ahsoka inwardly groaned. "Can't you use all the information I've already given you? What is left to discuss? Please, get it over with already." Eli looked a little surprised at this outburst, but quickly recovered. "I'm afraid that you have not given us a lot of information. For example, you've told us about your Republic's size and strength, but very little of the actual technology behind it."

"And for some reason you got it in your head that I'd be willing to tell all the military secrets I was given?" Ahsoka was clearly agitated and angry at him. Eli wanted to slap himself in the face. "No, no, certainly not. I just would like to know what these things actually look like and what they can do. I'd also like to know more about your species."

"You know what, no. There is no way I will say anything other than what I've already said a ton of times. I will tell your that we were winning the war, and that the Republic used to be my friend, before they stabbed me in the back, ok? Now get out of my room! /Enough already!/" Reluctantly, Eli left the room as she had requested.

Ahsoka had sensed that his intentions were good, and that he wasn't actually going to get her to try and tell secrets. She was just fed up with the people's huge amounts of curiosity of her personal life. The past was painful for her. The Republic and the Jedi had raised her ever since she was a little two year-old girl. She couldn't even remember anything than her life under the care of the Jedi, except for the day Master Plo had found her.

_I still can't believe that after all this time, they'd just throw me away like some worthless pawn!_ But is that what she was? Had she been a pawn in just someone else's game? The words of Barriss Offee, her "best friend," still haunted her.

No matter. If she had been just another piece of the puzzle, that had certainly changed when she left the order. Now she wasn't even a piece of anything. Just some random leftover. An extra. Ahsoka wanted to cry, but she held back her tears. That would be for another time. Now, she had to get some sleep.

* * *

Ahsoka yawned. She had been really tired yesterday, and sleep had done her good. Instinctively, she reached out to grab her lightsabers, but then realized that they weren't there. _I have to stop doing that,_ she thought. Someday she would figure out how to rebuild her treasured weapons. But now was not that time.

Getting out of bed, Ahsoka took off her nightgown and put on her uniform. It was going to be along day, and she knew it. While she hadn't quite adjusted to anything at all, something she could wrap her mind around was their way of telling time. It was not all that different from her own.

The clock read 4 AM in the morning. Ahsoka was relieved. That meant that she had about two hours to herself, hopefully, before the news went out about her existence. She decided that a walk outside would help her relax her mind.

Stepping outside in the cool morning air, Ahsoka took a deep breath. She was in the White House garden, which was currently unoccupied. She had visited many planets in her life, and each one had something unique about it that she admired. Each one had something she disliked about it too.

Earth was special because of its diversity. Most planets Ahsoka had been on had one common trait about it. Mon Cala was an ocean planet. Naboo, which was not unlike Earth in many ways, was a swamp and forest planet. Onderon was a jungle planet. Eath was unique in that it sported the environments of many different types.

Coruscant was... well, she would never look at that planet the same way ever again. It had always brought warm feeling to her before, because it was the location of her home, the Jedi Temple. Her friends were there and those who had instructed her were there. Now, all the same of the planet would remind her of was pain. Betrayal. Loneliness. Death. So much death. Many who were dead to the galaxy, because of her best friend's dark actions. A fate she almost had shared.

Now she was on a strange planet with even stranger people. Ahsoka had to admit, she almost liked it. The stress level could be much lower in the future, with no war that she had to fight. While she knew that war might very well exist on this planet, it wasn't a war she was required to fight because of a status.

Sitting down on a bench, Ahsoka watched the sun rise. A butterfly landed on her hand, and then flew away. _This world, and the universe, is a beautiful place. It does make one wonder if it all is really just an accident. _Knowing that she would have to go inside soon, she stood up and walked back into the White House.

Rebecca was exiting Ahsoka's room, when she saw her walk in from the garden. "Oh, there you are Ahsoka. Would you like to join me for breakfast with the President?" Ahsoka nodded her consent. "Sure thing."

The dining room had been setup with a small table with four chairs. Each plate consisted of a simple meal of oatmeal and toast, except for Ahsoka's plate. _They aren't doing such a bad job of remembering,_ Ahsoka thought. Her plate had steak from a cow on it. When she had first tasted it four days ago, it instantly had become one of her favorite foods.

When Ahsoka had been fighting, her choices of food hadn't been ideal. At the military bases she had been able to eat bantha meat, which was not her definition of tasty, but it was better than everything else. When on the battlefield though, she had been given long sticks of carbs, that consisted of a few nutrients her species relied on.

Other times she hadn't been so lucky, or so they said, and had to kill her own food with her teeth raw. Although she had to admit, while the clones and Anakin had laughed every time she killed animals for food, it was better than carb sticks any day. Togruta were made to kill and hunt, as biological carnivores, so liking it wasn't something that surprised her.

Rebecca cleared her throat and asked, "Would you like to sit down?" The President and his wife chuckled to themselves. Embarrassed, Ahsoka realized that she had been zoning. She took her seat, and they began to eat. Seated at the table were President Danho, his wife, Rebecca, and herself.

The President spoke to Ahsoka. "Today will be your last day here, before you go to Rebecca's home in the country. They main purpose of you staying here is just due to the media's announcement today. It is 5:45 AM right now, so news will be covering your story in just a few minutes. Would you like to watch it?"

* * *

Another chapter down! I'll be posting another, possibly two more, tomorrow. Shorter than usual, but that's ok.


	7. A Matter of Trust

/When you see text like this, that means in is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

* * *

Chapter 7: A Matter of Trust

July 20, 2013 - 18.9 BBY

* * *

President Danho turned on the TV. _Force, that thing is so old!_ It was only two feet wide, and it was an actual physical display. Ahsoka couldn't help thinking how nice it would be if they had the holonet here. She had tried getting access to it on her datapad, but there was no signal. Not exactly surprising.

"...an official statement says that they will someday rise from the ashes with unicorns coming out of the many unicorn lairs in their country, to protect the people of the DPRK."

Everyone in the room chuckled, except for Ahsoka. Are unicorns not intelligent or something? She completely missed the joke, whatever it was. Oh well.

The channel was set to CNN. Meanwhile, the government was recording all of the other major stations that would be covering thie story of Ahsoka Tano. "Stay tuned for a Special Report from The White House. This, is CNN."

"All right, this is it," said Rebecca. Everyone was leaning it, which was unnecessary, but all of them were eager to hear what they would say.

"Welcome back to The Situation Room, I'm Wolf and today we have the most interesting news ever to reach our planet. Now before I go in further, I want to apologize for interrupting any other program that you were watching, but I believe, and the rest of the press believes that this is very important."

"We are not alone. I was absolutely stunned when I heard this news, and so is everyone else. This news was announced yesterday to the press at a closed White House press meeting. There was much speculation on what this meeting was about, but not a single person expected this."

"The main question I'm sure is going though your head right now is 'Is this a hoax?' Well, it certainly is not." Wolf paused before continuing. "We know that this is true because an alien spoke to us the press conference, it is a female, and her name is Ahsoka Tano."

Ahsoka let out a deep guttural growl when she heard the word "alien." Rebecca noticed this, but decided not to say anything. She guessed, correctly, that it was something her species did naturally when agitated.

"John, will you please play the clips from the press conference?"

* * *

After everyone had finished watching the initial report, Ahsoka had left the room almost in tears. The President had left just a little earlier to speak with the press, so the only two left in the room was the First Lady and Rebecca.

The First Lady watched as Ahsoka left the room, and did not fail to notice the hints of tears in Ahsoka's large eyes. "Rebecca, you might want to speak with Ahsoka," she said gently. "She seems to be having a hard time." Rebecca nodded, and went to Ahsoka's room.

Rebecca opened the door, and found Ahsoka sobbing on her bed. They don't trust me, Ahsoka was thinking. They never will. She wasn't one to cry, but she had so many emotions going on all at once, she had to let it out.

The media had stated that, while they are unafraid of her and that they think she is real, trust is something that they couldn't have in Ahsoka. She couldn't blame them, but trust had become so important to her.

The Jedi didn't trust Ahsoka. Barris had not trusted her. The Republic hadn't trusted her. Her own men, clones she had served along side for years, didn't trust her. She had trusted them, but in her moment of peril, thier trust proved to be worthless.

What had happened to Ahsoka had caused her to value trust more than anything else. When her trust had been rejected, again, it caused her a lot of emotional pain. It showed too, and Rebecca noticed this.

Sitting next to the girl on her bed, Rebecca tried to comfort Ahsoka. She tried to stop crying, and sucessfuly did so, but she was clearly still saddened.

"It's okay to cry Ahsoka. Do you mind telling me what is wrong? I only want to help you," Rebecca said. She had been a physiologist, before she decided to become a full-time mom. Due to her expertise and the fear that Ahsoka would suffer from post traumatic stress, the government asked her to be involved for this particular case.

"It's... it's just trust has become so important to me, and not a single person trusts me here. Where I came from, only Anakin trusted me. I shouldn't be crying, I'm too old for that. I'm sorry," Ahsoka was doing her best to hide her emotions again, but failed miserably.

"I trust you," Rebcca said simply. Then she continued. "I know I'm not the only one who trusts you here as well. The President trusts, you and so does Maddie. I know that my husband and children will trust you too."

Ahsoka looked up. "You trust me? Why? You hardly even know me." She couldn't understand how Rebecca could trust her.

"I know you better than anyone else on this planet," Rebecca said. "And you just said yourself why people can't trust you; they hardly know you. Give them time Ahsoka. I'm sure the world will come around, but you have to give them time and a reason to trust you."

Ahsoka suddenly felt very stupid. _Of course they have no reason to trust me, especially if they haven't seen one of my kind before._ "I'm sorry, Rebecca," Ahsoka said in a shamed tone. "I should have known better."

"It's ok," Rebecca gently said. "You don't need to apologize. There was nothing you could do."

Ahsoka didn't seem reassured. "I was always told that purpose must come before feelings, but I don't have a purpose anymore! And I have to rely on my feelings now." She sighed. "It sure isn't working."

Ahsoka took a deep breath, and then continued speaking. "Every day of my life I had a cause that was worth fighting for. Every day, men died by my side, and thousands every month. Many were good friends. But I could keep going, because I knew that their death was for something greater then themselves. The Republic. Here, I have no purpose or cause. I think that is why I am so distraught over things so small."

Rebecca nodded. "I'll never know what it's like to fight and see thousands die, Ahsoka. But you do have a purpose here, I know it. You coming here wasn't a mistake, it was a blessing! Ahsoka, I used to be a scientist and a mental doctor. Finding you will change everything for the world, and I don't need to be anyone special to know this. That's why we need you to help us learn."

"You want me to teach you?" Ahsoka secretly liked this idea, but she didn't want to show it. "I'm only- I only was a padawan. I can't teach you!" She had taught younglings before, and ended up getting kidnapped by Hondo. Those younglings, especially Katooni, became very special to Ahsoka. They rescued her, and had shown such a desire for learn. Children were different than adults though, and she knew it.

"Yes you can, Ahsoka. Besides, you are the only one who can talk to us about what is out there. And don't worry, it isn't anything formal. When you come to live with my family, the best way for you to teach us is just by being part of our lives. You have a purpose, Ahsoka. I'll help you too."

Ahsoka smiled sadly. "I'll do what I can, but please understand that there will be things that are too painful for me to talk about. I've shared more to you then I would to most as it is, and I prefer to forget about some things that I have experienced. I need you to understand that."

Rebecca could not help but wonder what those things were. She pitied the girl. Not a single person Ahsoka's age had ever experienced what she had. It never ceased to amaze her how Ahsoka managed to stay sane.

"I barely know how I manage to stay sane myself. I release my pain into the force, and it helps me stay calm," Ahsoka quietly said in almost a whisper.

_I forgot that she can read people's minds, _thought Rebecca.

"Well, keep that in mind then," laughed Ahsoka. Rebecca joined in her laughter.

"Well Ahsoka," Rebecca said, "Let's get ready to go to my home."

* * *

This, in my opinion, is the worst chapter in the entire book. It took me longer to write this chapter than any of the other chapters too. I cut around four large scenes, and re-wrote this twice. The final product: a (too) quickly paced chapter that is only used to fill in some holes in the storyline that would be here otherwise. Now I can actually get back to the good part of the story.

Yes, there was a little bit of humor here. I put it there to lighten up the mood of this chapter a bit, and make it less painful to read.


	8. Traveling to a New Home

/When you see text like this, that means in is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

* * *

Chapter 8: Traveling to a New Home

July 20, 2013 - 18.9 BBY

* * *

"Hi, Daniel?" Rebecca was making a phone call to her husband to let him know that she was coming home soon with Ahsoka.

"Hi honey, how are things going with that alien thing?" It was her husband, Daniel.

"Everything is going well overall, although Ahsoka, she's the Togruta the press keep talking about, is having consistent mental breakdowns," Rebecca sighed. "I feel so bad for her."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Daniel, "what do you think the problem is? Her stress from being here?"

"That's part of it. I can tell you more later, but Ahsoka was betrayed and framed for a crime she didn't commit in her world. While her name was cleared later, she left what she calls the Jedi. That has left her emotionally unstable I think," Rebecca explained. "Not to mention that she was a commander in the military at age fourteen to sixteen. She told me that many of her best friends died beside her, and countless thousands died with her on the battlefield."

"Woah, that's horrible," Daniel said surprised at what he just heard. "She's so young too. You're saying that all that happened to her, when she is just four years older than our Ruth?"

Rebecca sighed again. "Yes, I am saying that. It's so unbelievable, yet it is the truth. Anyway Dan, I am sorry I have to tell you this on such short notice, but Ahsoka is coming to live at our home today. I didn't have permission to tell anyone until a few hours ago."

"The alien is coming here?" Daniel was intrigued. This was something he certainly hadn't expected.

"Yes, she is," replied Rebecca. "I'll tell you what I can tell you about her, and then we need to figure out what to tell Ruth and Peter."

"The first thing you need to know is that she doesn't like being called an alien…"

* * *

An hour later at about 2 PM in the afternoon, Maddie, Rebecca, Eli, and the President along with a few others that had been part of the group that Ahsoka had first met when she had come to Earth were gathered in a garage to see her off. A car was packed and ready, and a police escort had been prepared to take them to the airport, and then fly out to Rebecca's home in California.

"Good luck Ahsoka, we wish you all the best," said President Danho. "If you ever need something from me, just call and ask me. I'll be doing everything I can to help you in anyway possible."

"Take care Ahsoka, and keep Rebecca out of trouble," Maddie said with a smile. "Rebecca, please keep in touch with whatever you learn. The team will be eager to hear everything."

Ahsoka bowed to them, and entered the car. "I will stay in contact with you almost everyday," replied Rebecca. Then turning to President Danho she said, "Thank you Mr. President for letting Ahsoka stay with me. It was very kind of you to suggest it."

The President smiled sadly. "Don't thank me, you're the one who ought to be thanked. I knew Ahsoka wouldn't be comfortable with the press all around her, so you're doing her and all of us a great favor," he said. "Not to mention you are possibly saving her from breaking down again."

"Well then, I'm glad I could do it, sir." Saying this, Rebecca got into the car and sat beside Ahsoka. Then they left, along with their police escort.

Many members of the press were nearby, so when they saw the car leaving with Ahsoka, they began taking pictures rapidly. Rebecca noticed that it was making Ahsoka uncomfortable, and tried to distract her.

"Have I told you about my family?" Rebecca asked, knowing well that she had not. "No, you have not told me about them," replied Ahsoka. "What is your family like?"

"My family is small. First, there is my handsome husband Daniel," smiled Rebecca. "He is an engineer at a company called Apple. He works on the computer operating system called OS X."

"Are computers similar to datapads," asked Ahsoka, showing her datapad for reference. "Sort of," replied Rebecca, "although they are much larger and have a keyboard on them." Ahsoka nodded.

"Anyway, I have two children as well, Ruth and Peter. Ruth is the oldest, and takes after her father. She enjoys computers and programming, and likes to talk to people. She is twelve, just four years younger than you. I think you'll like her."

Rebecca continued. "Then there is Peter. He really likes the outdoors and the farm. You see, we live on a farm, and he really likes taking care of it. He's also a piratical joker." Rebecca grinned, remembering some of his pranks.

Ahsoka grinned. "I used to prank people a lot when I was little. Once, when Master Ti came to check up on my progress, I put a sign on her back that said, "Kick me." Then Master Plo came along, and did just that," laughed Ahsoka. "I was hiding in a corner, and it was certainly a sight to be seen."

"Well then," laughed Rebecca, "it sounds like you will enjoy both of our children." Ahsoka calm down then, and became serious. "Yes, I hope so. That is, if they accept me." Rebecca knew her children well and said, "Yes, it may take them time Ahsoka, but they will warm up to you quickly. That I am certain of."

Soon, they arrived at the airport. The drive had been short, which wasn't unexpected, because they had came from the White House. Ahsoka thought that the drive took awhile though, as she was used to riding a speeder or some type of starship.

The first people to get out were the Secret Service Agents. While they were keeping the location of where Ahsoka was staying and who she was staying with a secret, her travel could not be hidden. She also had to go onto a public airplane, as a private plane wasn't available at the time.

"Ahsoka, we have to get out now." Nervously, Ahsoka got out of the car, and walked into the airport. This was her first time in public, and she didn't like all the stares she was getting. People were whispering to each other about her, thinking that Ahsoka wouldn't be able to hear them. They were wrong, because Ahsoka could hear things from much further away, due to her lekku and montrals.

"That's the alien," whispered one boy to his mother. "Yes George, she looks quite interesting. I hope she is safe, but don't go near her. You never know, she could be dangerous." _"You have no idea what I could do," _Ahsoka thought to herself. _"Lucky for you, I can't, won't, and shouldn't do anything to you."_

The two women and secret service agents hurried along, and went to security. While it was obvious that Ahsoka won't try to do anything, airport security still had to check her. Ahsoka wasn't scanned, but they did have her walk through the metal detector. Taking off her Togruta sash and datapad, Ahsoka went through, and was cleared.

The airport security police officers were eyeing Ahsoka curiously, but they didn't ask any questions, or whisper among themselves. They just did their job, which she appreciated.

After a little walking, Rebecca found the gate they were to get on. The airport wasn't very busy at this time, so they had little trouble getting through the crowd. "This is it, gate 17b. Ahsoka, you stay here with them. I have to speak with our pilot and passengers," Rebecca said, and gestured for her to sit in a nearby chair.

Ahsoka instead sat on the floor, and meditated. She hadn't had much time to do so, and she would take any opportunity she could. She hated it when she was a padawan, but now it was special to her. It was one of the few things that remained of her past.

Everyone, excluding Ahsoka and Rebecca had already boarded the plane. Walking on board, the latter found the pilot. "Captain? May I speak with you?" He nodded. "Yes, of course. What is it?"

"Have you heard the news about the Togruta the government discovered?" He furrowed his brow, trying to think. "I don't think so... wait, is that the alien?" Rebecca nodded. "Yes, it is. Well sir, she will be boarding this plane shortly. Do you mind speaking to the passengers to reassure them that she is perfectly safe, and that they should treat her well?"

The pilot looked surprised. "It is boarding the plane? How do you know this?" Rebecca gestured to one of the secret service agents that was on the boarding ramp. "I'm the one responsible for her. We have security, just in case."

"Well, I will see what I can do. However, I recommend that you take the back first class section that has been setup for the handicapped. It is larger, and offers more privacy. It isn't occupied, and I'm sure it doesn't matter what kind of ticket you have. Taking any old seat is not such a good idea, if I might say so," said the pilot.

"Thank you, captain. Should I tell Ahsoka to board?" He nodded, and Rebecca gestured to the agent. "Tell Ahsoka that she can get on the plane now." The agent nodded, and went up the ramp.

Then the pilot turned to a nearby microphone, and switched it on. "Attention, this is your captain speaking. I have been informed by the authorities that the alien you have likely heard about will be boarding the plane. Please treat her with respect, and don't get any ideas. She is perfectly safe, and will not harm you. Thank you for understanding," and then he turned the mic back off. "There you go, that should do it," he said.

"Thank you," Rebecca said. "I'm sure it helped." Then he went into the cockpit, and shut the door behind him. Just then, Ahsoka walked in. "Follow me, and I will show you where we are sitting," Rebecca told her.

The plane was very small and could hold only forty passengers. It was a jet, not a fast one, but still a jet. Ahsoka sat down, ignoring the stares she was getting. "These seats are comfortable," commented Ahsoka.

Rebecca then realized that Ahsoka was extremely lucky to have been given the spot the captain had given her. Had she gone anywhere else, she would have been much closer to the jet engines, which would have surely been painful for her montrals.

Another thing was the cushioned head rest. Ahsoka's lekku and montrals were very sensitive, and the hard second-class seats would have been very uncomfortable. _"Why didn't I think of that before?" _Rebecca thought. She made a mental note to always get this seat or a seat like it, should they ever get on a plane again.

* * *

Eight hours and nearly forty cups of water later, Ahsoka was waiting with Rebecca for their baggage to appear on the conveyor belt. Taking off and landing had really hurt Ahsoka's head. She was used to pressured cabin's, but clearly Earth had yet to invent a less painful way of going about it.

"Can I ask you an embarrassing question?" Ahsoka turned to Rebecca. "Um... sure, I guess," Ahsoka said. "How can you drink that much water without needing to, you know, relive yourself..."

Ahsoka's lekku flushed a dark purple. "I, er, don't know. I normally drink that much water..." Then Ahsoka thought of something. "Oh, I remember. Master Ti, a Togruta Jedi like I was, she told me in biology class that we drink more water than you humans because we don't eat fruit or vegetables. So we need more water to compensate."

"Oh, that makes sense," said Rebecca. Then she grinned. "Nothing like asking questions about someone's biology, right?" Ahsoka laughed. "Yep!"

Soon they had their luggage, and walked outside to wait for Rebecca's husband to arrive with their car and pick them up. Ahsoka had a cloak on to attempt and hide her features. Thankfully, not a single person noticed them. The security agents had left them to avoid them getting more attention then they wanted.

Shortly after they walked outside, Daniel arrived with his car to pick them up. He rolled down the window and yelled, "Hey, need a lift?" Rebecca smiled and said jokingly, "Of course we do! What took you so long?"

Ahsoka went into the car, and sat in the middle of the first bench. It was a minivan, and had two benches and two front seats. Rebecca sat down in the passenger seat on Daniel's right. /Hello, and thank you,/ said Ahsoka, bowing her head in thanks to Daniel.

"What's up, kid? My wife has told be quite a lot about you. What did you say?" Daniel had a smirk on his face. Taking her shawl and hood off, which had been round to hide her montrals, Ahsoka replied in Basic, "I said "hello and thank you." I preferred to say it in my language, I guess. I'm fine, thanks for asking."

Daniel looked in his mirror, and got a good look at Ahsoka for the first time. He had seen short clips of her on TV, but clearly that wasn't much. She was defiantly a young girl, that much he could tell. A teen, but diffidently still a kid. It was hard to tell though, due to her un-human characteristics.

Daniel then spoke. "So, has my wife told you about our home?" Ahsoka shook her head no. "Well, it's a pretty nice place. Been working on it myself for many years. The property is a farm now, even though it wasn't at first. We have two cows, a dozen chickens, a few ducks, three goats, and lots of berry bushes. We have four acres cleared right now, and the rest of it is just grassland plains and forest."

Ahsoka's eyes lit up. "Grasslands? How much?" This excited her. "About, I don't know, twenty acres of it? About ten acres of forest to, I might add. We're in an area of California that is pretty much country and open plains still."

"That's good. My homeworld of Shili is mostly rainforest or grassland, and it isn't often there is a place like it. Your planet isn't very populated or advanced. I guess that is why you still have tiny cities and grassland," Ahsoka said.

"Wait, you just said that your homeworld is mostly rainforrest or grasslands. Are you not advanced? It sure seems like you were an advanced people, based off of what I heard about you," interjected Daniel.

"My people, the Togruta, are hunters. We ourselves are not advanced. However, because I am force-sensitive, I was raised in the Jedi Temple on a city-planet called Coruscant. It is much more advanced than my people, and has a population just a little over one trillion," replied Ahsoka.

"What!? One trillion? Ahsoka, that a whole lot of people," said Daniel in disbelief. "Well it's true," said Ahsoka. "Believe me, I know how crowded or polluted it can get on some of the levels. I'm speaking for experience on that one."

"Wow. That's really interesting," Rebecca said. "How large is the population of Togruta?" Ahsoka shrugged. "Not very large. There isn't an exact number that anyone has come up with, but I do know that we are one of the minor species. There are only three Togruta Jedi, including myself. So two now, I guess."

They continued talking about the poipulation of different species and planets for awhile. After three hours, Ahsoka's entire body was getting even sore from sitting all day. She was looking forward to getting up.

"I hate to end the converstation, but we're almost home," Rebecca said. Ahsoka groaned in relief. She may have to meet the children of Rebecca and Daniel still, but at least their long travel trip was over.

* * *

So much better than the last chapter. I am pretty happy with this one, and it just might be the longest I've ever written, although I'm not sure. The water consumption thing was compleatly made up by me, but here's an interesting bit of trivia: Ahsoka has been shown drinking water more than any other character in Star Wars. The population of Togruta is unknown, so that is why Ahsoka couldn't give an answer. Daniel, if you haven't picked it up yet, is like the Han Solo of my story, but he is also based off of my dad too.

Thanks for reading!


	9. Meet Ruth and Peter

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

* * *

Chapter 9: Meeting Ruth and Peter

July 20, 2013 - 18.9 BBY

* * *

As Rebecca was saying this, Daniel pulled into a long narrow driveway that was made up of many small grey rocks. The road they had been on was made of dirt, and they hadn't seen another house for many miles. Surrounding both the road and driveway was a large lush and green forrest, that reminded Ahsoka of Endor. Endor was one of her favorite planets, partly because it was similar to her home planet Shili's jungle. _"Although nothing can compare to my planet," _Ahsoka thought fondly.

Soon they were out of the woods, and Ahsoka barely saw through the darkness of night a small, light-yellow home with a large red barn. Surrounding the buildings was a large wooden fence, and a pasture. She saw that there were three light-brown animals in the the pasture, and as they went closer, she saw that there were dozens of small two-legged creatures as well.

At long last, the car came to a standstill. "Stay with Rebecca, Ahsoka, while I go and talk with the kiddos," said Daniel, getting out of the car. It didn't take the force for Ahsoka to figure out what exactly he was going to talk to them about. "How about you help me unpack, Ahsoka?" Glad to have something to busy herself with, she began helping Rebecca take everything out of the car to go inside.

Daniel walked into their home. Ruth had stayed home with Peter when he had left to pick up Rebecca and Ahsoka. He smiled, thinking about Ruth. His little girl was growing up so fast, and becoming more responsible every day, and she was being so helpful by staying home with her brother nowdays, whenever he and his wife had to do somewhere.

"Dad, you're home!" Ruth ran up to Daniel and out her arms around him. He laughed, and returned the gesture. "Miss me?" Daniel chuckled. "Of course Dad, but you weren't gone that long," Ruth said playfully. "Peter is in bed, but he will be down soon." She grinned. "He never wants to miss an opprotunity to see what you brought home from the grocery store." Looking behind him, she asked, "Where is Mom? Didn't you come and pick her up?"

Daniel sighed. "Go and get your brother to come down here. I want to talk to you both about something." Ruth nodded, but she had that look she always had when she thought that she might have done something wrong, without realizing it. He had to talk about Ahsoka to his children now, even if he didn't want too. Which he didn't, of course.

"Hi Dad," Peter said, half-walking and half-running from his room. Ruth was right behind him. Daniel smiled, and then spoke to him, "Hey Peter. Whattsup?" Peter ginned. "Not much. I made an awesome trap in the woods for Ruth's pig. I can't wait to see him get stuck in it." Ruth playfully punched him in the shoulder.

Peter laughed, and then asked, "Did you get any ice cream?" Daniel smirked. Peter had always enjoyed food, and couldn't get enough of it. Thankfully, he was so active that it didn't even come close to showing. "Naw, not this time. I did get hotdogs and relish though," he replied. "Want to help me build a campfire tonight?"

Peter's eyes lit up. "Tonight? Really? Awesome, thanks Dad! I'll go outside and start making it right-" Daniel interrupted him before he could go. "No, wait. Please sit next to your sister, quietly. I need to speak both about something very important."

Reluctently, Peter sat down. "What did we do something wrong?" Both Peter and Ruth had asked the same question, at the exact same time. Daniel smiled weakly. "No, you did nothing wrong. I hope. Ruth, do you know what Mom left to do?" Ruth shook her head. "No, at least I didn't know at first, until I read the news about the alien on my iPod. Mom did a great job."

"Yes, she took care of the kid well," Daniel said. "Now, there is something you must know. It is staying with us, probably for a long time." Ruth looked shocked, and Peter looked... almost excited. "Wha... wait, what? You're serious?" Ruth couldn't believe it. Had her parents gone mad?

"When does it get here? Can she be my pet?" Daniel laughed when he heard what Peter said. "Of course not, Peter. She can talk just like you or me. She's just different, that's all." Peter's grin just grew wider. "That is so cool! When does it get here?"

"'It' is a she, and her name is Ahsoka Tano. She is here right now actually, helping Mom unload the car," replied Daniel. "Yippe!" Peter couldn't wait, and ran outside to see what she looked like. Daniel turned to his daughter. "Ruth, are you okay?" Ruth nodded. "Yes, of course I am Dad. It's just... well, she's an alien. I can't trust her, let alone like her." He sighed again. "I know it will be difficult Ruth, but give her time. She is just as worried about us as you are about her. Just give her a little slack, okay?" Ruth nodded. "I'll try Dad."

Taking Ruth's hand, they walked outside to the car together. Turning to where the door was, Daniel was surprised to find Peter staring through the window. "Dude, what are you doing here?" He continued to stare. "It's really tall Dad." In a way, he was right. Ahsoka was 5 feet 9 inches tall, but with her montrals, she looked about 6 feet 5 inches. "Yep, she just might be, but staring isn't a good idea. Get out there and say hello."

Snapping out of his staring trance, Peter opened to door to let Daniel and his sister outside. Ruth stuck out her tongue as she walked by. "Hey, no fair!" By that point Rebecca and Ahsoka had taken everything out of the car. "Hi Mom!" Both of the kids ran to Rebecca. She had been gone for a long time, longer than she had ever been away from them, and they were very excited to see her. "Hello you two," Rebecca said, laughing.

Ahsoka noticed that they were excited to see her, and stepped behind them to give them a little time by themselves. "What did you do?" "Did you miss us?" "How was the trip?" "I hope you didn't have a really long plane trip. Those can be annoying." Rebecca was laughing. "One at a time everyone. Now, I'd like for you to meet Ahsoka Tano. She is sixteen years old, and will be living with us now," said Rebecca, gesturing twoards the Togruta behind her.

"Hi," Ahsoka said nervously. Normally she wouldn't be nervous, but as she expected she would be, she was nervous this time. The children not liking her could be bad, as she was living with them and their parents, possibly for the rest of her life.

"Hi Ahsoka," said Peter. Ahsoka sensed that he was nervous, but he was interested in her. He kept staring at her head, likely the montrals and lekku. Ahsoka shifted uncomfortably, as she always did when people were staring at her because of how she looked.

Daniel gently pushed Ruth forward. "Oh yeah, um, hi," she said, looking at the ground. Ruth didn't like Ahsoka one bit. She had read about her freaky powers, and wanted no part of its life. "'_It,' not she," _Ruth thought._ "I will never think of "'it' as a she, in my mind at least." _Ahsoka heard these thoughts, but didn't let on to it. She was also offended, but did not show it, thinking that I would only make things worse.

Daniel coughed to get everyone's attention. "Ok guys, do we want to eat now? Peter, how about you and Ahsoka work together on the campfire. The rest of us will bring everything into the house and get the food ready. Chop-chop!"

With that, everyone got busy. Peter nearly forgot his nervousness at the though of food, and he had to admit, it was going to me fun making a campfire with someone younger than his parents. Ruth had never made a campfire with him; she was more on an "indoors" person. Not that she wasn't a good runner, unfit, or anything like that.

"Come on Ahsoka," called Peter, already running towards the woods. "I'll show you how to make a campfire." Ahsoka followed him willingly, glad that he was willing to try and interact with her. Not that any of the adults hadn't, but it was nice to have a youngling like you too.

Ahsoka caught up to Peter. "Do you know what they are making?" Peter nodded. "Yeah, we're making hot dogs. Beef hot dogs too, I think. They taste so good!" Ahsoka listened, and correctly guessed that it was a type of meat. _"It's kind of them to think of things like that," _she thought to herself.

Peter eyed at her curiously as they continued walking to the woods, which wasn't very far by that point. "Do you like meat?" Ahsoka laughed. "Of course! My species can only eat meat." Peter looked up. "Really? I envey you. Mom's always telling me to eat my vegetables," he said with a disgusted look on his face. "It isn't like they are terrible and stuff, you know, but I like meat so much more."

"So do you always eat outside like this? I mean, your planet can cook inside in some areas," said Ahsoka. Peter grinned. "Nope, but I wish we did. We only eat outside sometimes in the summer. It gets really cold in the winter, but it's fun too."

At last they reached the edge of the forrest. Peter then attempted to explain how to make a fire to Ahsoka. "So we need to find some twigs first, then we need bigger peices," he said, streaching his arms out as far as he could to show how big they should be. "Then we-" Ahsoka interruped. "Don't worry, I know how to make a fire."

Peter looked surprised. "Really? Cool! Not many girls I know can do that. Ruth insists that she can, but she's never proven it." Ahsoka smiled. "Well I'm not a normal girl, am I?" Peter looked taken aback by her statement, and she realized what she had said. "Uh, yeah, you're not, but that could be fun. I think."

Feeling just a little awkward, Ahsoka changed the subject. "What do you light the fire with? Fuel?" Petter shook his head. "No, but that'd be cool if we could. Dad always lights it with a lighter, and we use dry leaves and twigs as kindling. Don't bother getting leaves though, Dad has a nice pile of them somewhere."

Ahsoka nodded, and then went looking for what they needed. In very little time, they had what they needed. "Where do you want all this?" Peter pointed to the driveway. "See that little black spot in the corner of the driveway? We put the fire there, so it won't light anything on fire," he said.

Using the force, Ahsoka lifted all that they had gathered, and set it down next to the firepit, if it could be called that. Peter stood there, mouth agape with admiration. "That, was so cool! You just saved us some time, that's for sure."

Ahsoka soon wished she hadn't done that. Well, actually she didn't. It had for some reason broke all the ice between them, and Peter started asking lots of questions. The thing was, Peter asked so many questions, that her lekku started feeling full.

"Can you kill people with that?" Ahsoka's lekku paled. The other questions had just been annoting, but this one was a little much. "That is enough questions Peter," she said, in a tone that sounded angrier than she wanted it to sound. He was startled by her raction to that question, and complied reluctantly.

* * *

Sorry about the lack of updates. This chapter had to be just short, or it was going to be come too long. You can expect more awesomeness soon!


	10. Flames of Resentment

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

* * *

Chapter 10: Flames of Resentment

July 20, 2013 - 18.9 BBY

* * *

Just as Ahsoka and Peter came back to the fire pit, the rest of the family had finished putting away everything Rebecca had came with. "Peter," asked Rebecca, "could you please get out the lawn chairs for us to sit in?" Peter immediately went to go and do what she asked.

Watching Peter walk away, Ahsoka smiled. She enjoyed Peter's company, and looked forward to spending more time with him. Remembering what he had said about the "hot dogs," she spoke to Rebecca. "Thank you for making meat tonight. I'm sorry that I can't eat what you eat normally."

Rebecca smiled. "You're welcome, Ahsoka. It's our pleasure. Besides, it's a nice treat for our family, and we all like eating this." Ruth noticed this, and decided to ask Ahsoka about it. "Why can't you just eat what we eat?"

Rebecca put her mouth to Ruth's ear and whispered. "Watch your tongue Ruth," she said. "Be nice to her, and give her a chance." Ahsoka was slightly embarrassed that they didn't realize that due to her lekku and montrals, she could hear everything they were saying.

Brushing Ruth's rudeness off as just something she was saying out of ignorance, Ahsoka answered patiently. "I physically cannot eat anything that isn't meat, Ruth. My species lives on a planet called Shili where we hunt for food using our teeth." She then proceeded to display her set of sharp canine teeth to her.

Ruth had to admit, Ahsoka's reason for not eating like the rest of them was a very good one, and her teeth frightened her somewhat. She was stubborn though, and smugly said to Ahsoka, "I bet you wish you could eat other things too."

Ahsoka clenched her teeth and tightened her fists, trying with all her might not to get angry. "No, I don't. It's just how I am, and I like myself. Nothing can make me wish that I wasn't born the way I was."

Rebecca was astonished at her daughter's insulting statement, and saw Ahsoka's reaction to the smug comment. Not wanting to ruin the evening for everyone by sending Ruth to her room, so she looked at her angrily and said, "I will speak to you later in your room. Now keep your mouth shut young lady."

Ruth looked down at her feet, angry at her mother for correcting her. She didn't feel bad for what she said at all, and Ahsoka was sensing this. It bothered her a lot, and she did her best to contain her hurt and anger from the words that Ruth had spoken.

Just then, Peter came back with five chairs. Panting, he set them down. "Boy, am I glad we have an extra for you, Ahsoka. The rocks can leave quite a few bruises on you if you sit on them," he grinned at his own words, remembering the first time they had ate hot dogs next to the fire. "Once when I was seven I fell asleep on the rocks after dinner, and I was sore for a week."

Ahsoka laughed, cheered up by Peter's story. "That must have hurt," she said. Peter nodded. "It did, but it was totally worth it! I'm the only one ever to sleep on rocks in my family." Ahsoka smiled. She could not help envying Peter's sense of fun an innocence. She had once been like that, before she was thrust into the Clone Wars.

"There, that ought to do it," said Daniel. Ahsoka hadn't noticed him trying to light the fire, and he had just succeeded in doing so. Using the force, she pushed the smoke away from her. Togruta were more sensitive to smoke than other species like humans were, because it irritated their lekku. Ahsoka was no exception.

As he was watching the fire slowly grow, Peter had an idea. "Ahsoka, could you tell us a campfire story about you?" Ahsoka looked up. "What kind of story?" Peter thought for a moment. "How about a story of you in the outdoors, trying to, um... I don't know, doing something cool."

Ahsoka thought for a moment, and then thought of the time she had been captured by Trandoshans. She turned to Rebecca and asked, "I have a story I can tell all of you. It's a true story and, well, it has some violent and sad parts in it. Is it ok if I tell it to you?" Rebecca looked at her curiously. "Yes, certainly. I'm sure we would like to hear it."

Deciding to tell the story, but tone down the violent parts, Ahsoka took a deep breath. "Two years ago," she began, "I was on a mission with my master to attack a Separatist outpost on the planet Felucia. The outpost contained a battalion of droids, and we had to take them out to secure that sector of the planet for the Republic."

Peter was already very interested, even though he had no idea what half of what Ahsoka said was yet. Ahsoka noticed that everyone, including Ruth, were listening intently. Happy to have an eager audience, she continued.

"My job was to attack the outpost, which was almost like a small metal fort, from the back wall. With me was a squad of my best clones. As I was walking through the dense jungle towards the back to the outpost, I heard something moving through my montrals."

Ruth whispered to Rebecca, asking what montrals were. Ahsoka paused politely, waiting for them to finish talking. They finished quickly, and Ahsoka resumed. "I told my men to stop moving, but I didn't hear anything more. I told them that it must have just been an animal, which would have made sense in that jungle It was home to quite a few large beasts, including the fearsome rancor."

The fire crackled, and Daniel put more wood on it. "Not much later, we were at the wall," continued Ahsoka. "I received a signal on my comlink, and the men scaled the wall with ease. I still sensed movement out in the jungle, so when one of the clones told me to come up, I said I'd be right there, but I wanted to make sure our rear was clear."

Peter snickered, and Daniel gave him a look that quieted him. Ahsoka sighed. "That, was a huge mistake. The next thing I knew I had been shot with an electric stun net, and I fainted. I don't know how long I was out, but I soon found myself in a small cage. I heard my master's voice calling for me from above, and I looked up only to see a Trandoshan, laughing at me, and holding my comlink. "You won't need this anymore," he said, and crushed it."

"Looking around I saw that there were others in cages around me, and I asked one of them where I was and who had captured to me. He told me that they were going to hunt us down for sport, and I groaned. It would be hard to get out of this situation," recalled Ahsoka.

Rebecca asked a question, very interested in the things in the story. "What do Trandoshans look like?" Ahsoka thought for a brief moment, and recalled what Kalifa had told her. "Disgusting humanoid lizards," she said with a sad smile.

"A long time later, I felt the floor fall out from under me, and I fell to the ground. I realized that I had been in some sort of drop ship. Seconds later, the ship opened fire on all of us. Three were shot dead. I ran as fast as I could to the nearby jungle, trying to evade the fire of their machine guns."

Ahsoka paused and then continued, "I was lucky to have lived. As you could imagine, I was very scared. Suddenly, three figured jumped behind me. I started backing away, when a human female told me, "You need to come with us." I was still wary, so I asked, "Who are you?" Turning her head, the human said, "We used to be Jedi younglings." When she turned her head I saw her padawan braid, so I decided to go with them."

"We lived in a cave in the jungle," explained Ahsoka. "During the day the trandoshans would come out and hunt us down, and during the night we would sleep. I had a hard tome with this, and told Kalifa, the human female I had met earlier, that my master would never forgive me for running and hiding in the face of danger. I decided that I would fight the trandoshans face-to-face, and I ignored the protests of the other three padawans."

Ahsoka shivered. This area of Earth became colder at night, and Togruta were a warm-weather species. That is why she always wore what humans considered an excessive amount of cold weather gear, even when it was just barely below freezing. She pulled her chair closer to the fire, and then went on with the story.

"It didn't take long for one of the lizards to find me. He shot at me with his rifle, but I managed to redirect his shots. However, he then kicked me to the ground. I was about to die, and I knew it. Suddenly, he bagan chocking, and I saw Kalifa strangling him. She had saved my life."

"Unfortunately, the lizard called for help. The rest of the group arrived on hovorpods and began shooting at us as we ran. Kalifa and I went one way, and Jake and O'Mer another. They were the other two padawans. As Kalifa was running, the branch underneath her was shot. I screamed her name as she fell." Ahsoka wiped a tear from her eye. What came next was painful for her to remember.

Clearing her throat, Ahsoka went on. "I followed her down to where she had fallen. The trandoshan leader's son was trying to kill Kalifa and finish her off. She had broken her right arm, and was nearly helpless. I began fighting him, and just when I thought all was lost, I kicked him off the ledge. He died as a massive thorn in the ground stabbed him. I went over to Kalifa, and assured her everything was alright, that she would be safe."

Ahsoka wiped some more tears from her eyes. "I was wrong. Just as I started carrying her away, she was shot by a sniper. I was frightened for her; I didn't want her to die. She made me promise that I would take care of the others. I told her I would, and then she said, "I know you will."" Ahsoka let a little sob escape from her, before she went on. "She died in my arms. I couldn't give her a proper funeral, and I had to run away."

"In the end, the remaining three of us escaped with the help of a Wookie named Chewbacca. We attacked their fortress, and we killed every single one of the trandoshans. We were all very injured, but we survived. I had my master's training to thank for that."

All eyes were on Ahsoka, end everyone felt very sorry for her. Rebecca especially. Ahsoka must have been 14 at the time, and that was something that no fourteen year-old should ever need to face. "Ahsoka... I am so sorry." Ahsoka looked up at Rebecca. "Don't be. It was difficult at the time, and it still is difficult to remember, but I have learned how to not let the trials of the past define who I am." She looked at Peter and grinned. "That's how I learned a lot of my firewood-hunting skills, so it certainly became useful, huh?"

Peter smiled back. He too felt bad for Ahsoka, and he realized that Ahsoka's way of dealing with it was to talk about what she had been through, and then find the good in it. For a nine year-old boy to realize this was rare, and Ahsoka appriciated his attentiveness.

"Wow. That's a bummer," said Daniel. Then he picked up a few sticks with sharp tips from beside his chair, and passed them around. "Ok Ahsoka, this is how you cook hot dogs. You grab one of these babies," he pointed to the pack of hot dogs on the ground, and grabbing one for himself, he stuck it on the top of his stick. "See? It's pretty easy. You then put it over the fire, which I think you noticed, but when it is starting to sizzle you take it off. Now I usuially put it in a bread bun, but you can eat it by itself of course."

Ahsoka listened, and did the same thing. Soon, the entire group was happily eating as many hot dogs as they could stuff themselves with. "These, are really good," said Ahsoka. Peter laughed. "I told you so, didn't I?" Ahsoka bit into another hot dog and said with a mouthfull of meat, "Yep."

Ruth resented Ahsoka less now than she did before - at some level. Yes, she felt bad for Ahsoka, but she killed an entire tribe? She knew it was purely in self defence, but this alien was dangurous. Why didn't anyone else see it? Why were they blind to this? Ruth decided to keep a close eye on whatever she did.

That night, the family all went to bed, and Ahsoka took the guest room that Rebecca had setup. Ahsoka put on a nighgown, and slid into the covers. Pulling out her datapad, she put in a new entry in her diary.

_"Today I found where my new home truly is..."_

* * *

This was such an enjoyable chapter to write, and I hope you liked it. I thought the events of "Padawan Lost" would make an excellent campfire story, and while a sad story, I think it fit perfectly with the mood.

Q&A

Q: Why did Ahsoka not say "yes" to Peter's question in the last chapter?

A: That is how the story was written at first, but I decided to change it to show how Ahsoka really want to be friends with Peter. She doesn't want to say things that could be taken out of context. The story of "Padawant Lost" and "Wookie Hunt" gave her the opportunity to say "yes," but show that there was a reason for her to kill using the force.


	11. Crystals of the Past

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

* * *

Chapter 11: Crystals of the Past

July 21, 2013 - 18.8 BBY

* * *

_Kra-ack! _Ahsoka woke up, and heard the thunderstorm outside. A tree fell in the woods, hit by lightning. Her head hurt, as it always did when there were loud noises. Sometimes she wished her species were not so sensitive to sound, but then again, it was nice to be able to listen to what other species called "silence."

Oh, what a world was Shili. Ahsoka could still remember herself as a toddler running through the grass, just listening to the sounds of the wildlife. Humans always wondered why the Togruta found so much pleasure in being in large groups, in the jungle or grasslands. It's because they could listen to the sounds of things that were insignificant.

The Togruta were, in the eyes of the galaxy, slaves. They were a weak species, even though they did hunt for their food. Separate just one Togruta from their group, and they became easy targets. So it was natural for the Togruta to see the value in the things that others though lacked value. Everything was a part of their home, and everything at their home was a part of them. From the crickets, to the akul, and to the flowers, everything mattered to the them. They realized that everything had a purpose.

Maybe that's why Ahsoka did not look down on humans. They were a cold, inconsiderate, calculating, and yes, a manipulative species. Always hungry to gain power. But in her heart, she knew they had a place in the universe, just like she did. They were a team, even if the humans didn't realize it. Did she looks down on humans? No, she did not.

Ahsoka admitted that she had looked down on some people. Past experiences had proven that, but it didn't lessen her view of any species in general. Particular people? Maybe before. Ventress had been Ahsoka's enemy for the longest time, and she had looked down on her with disgust and contempt. But then... then they were both betrayed. Both Ahsoka and Ventress. Then they were able see the good in each other, and become friends, or at least partners in a struggle greater then themselves - the quest freedom.

_"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." _Ahsoka remembered that old Jedi proverb she had been taught as a youngling. She knew that what the saying meant is that when one was in disguise, they had to befriend even their enemies. However, there was an ironic truth to that quote in a way it didn't intend - someday your friends might betray you, and you just might have to turn to your worst enemy.

"I'll have to remember that when I'm around Ruth," whispered Ahsoka, to no one in particular.

Getting out of bed, Ahsoka slipped her washed uniform back on, and buckled her Togruta sash on. She was proud of that sash, and was glad she still had it. It symbolized what she was, and in this world where nobody knew who or what she was, it was the only reminder that was always visible that she had of her past.

Going to the refresher, Ahsoka looked at herself in the mirror. She fought the sudden impulse to laugh. _"Here I was thinking that my sash was the only outward symbol of my past - how wrong I am! Look at me, I'm not like them. I'll never be like them."_

She was comforted by the thought. No matter how hard anyone tried, she would always be Ahsoka Tano, the Togruta. The Jedi. Servant of freedom. For that, she was grateful.

Walking silently to the living room, as not to wake everyone, Ahsoka looked for the suitcase that contained all of her belongings. _"Ah, there it is," _she said to herself, finding a small brown suitcase. It could be hardly called that, it was more of a briefcase than a suitcase, as her belongings were few and far between.

The room was very dark, humans would call it "pitch black," but Ahsoka, like other Togruta, could see at night very well. Only occasionally, like on Onderon, would she use night vision goggles. She had decided that it would be a good idea to put everything in her room, instead of going back and forth between the two rooms.

Ahsoka unzipped the suitcase, and was astonished at what she saw. Inside there was a basic comlink, a grappling hock, her datapad's charger, and a few odd items that she happened to have on her when she arrived on Earth. Those items were not what she was looking at.

_"Could it be...?" _Ahsoka rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. There, in her suitcase, lay two bright and glowing lightsaber crystals! She didn't know what to think. _"How could they possibly be here?"_

It didn't matter now. All she could do was put them in her pockets, and do something about it later. Maybe she would use them to build her lightsabers again... someday. That day had not come. The force had done something truly miraculous for her, and she would accept them, but not use them. Not now.

Realizing that she had no choice but to continue her current task, Ahsoka quickly worked during the night's thunderstorm, and moved everything into her room, but kept the crystals in her pockets.

* * *

Rebecca hit her alarm clock's snooze button again, and this time she actually got up. She hadn't had that much sleep ever since Ahsoka had arrived, and it felt so good to get out of bed rested.

Looking at the time, she was slightly surprised that it was 6:30 in the morning. She usually liked to get up at 4 and have some quiet time, sometimes with her husband, before the day got started.

After a few minutes, she walked into the living room. Turning on the lights, she was surprised to see Ahsoka attempting to read.

"Good morning Rebecca," said Ahsoka.

Rebecca smiled. "Good morning to you too," she replied. "Why are you up so early?" She would have expected Ahsoka to sleep in, considering that they had had a long day of travel and a late night the day before.

"For a Togruta, I'm not up early," Ahsoka explained simply. "We need less sleep."

Rebecca nodded, becoming more and more fascinated with the Togruta species. There were more differences between the two species than she could have ever imagined. Many of the things she had learned recently were in favor of the Togruta, but little had been learned as of yet. _"Who knows what secrets we could unlock," _Rebecca mused.

Sitting down next to Ahsoka on the couch, Rebecca asked, "What are you reading?"

Ahsoka chuckled. "I honestly have no idea. I'm just trying to learn your alphabet."

Rebecca's face turned slightly red. She had forgotten that Ahsoka couldn't read. _"How could I be so stupid?"_ Then she had an idea. "Would you like me to teach you how to read our language?"

Ahsoka's eyes lit up. "Yes, I would like that very much. Can we start today?"

Rebecca laughed. "You seem very enthusiastic to learn." Ahsoka's lekku darkkened in embarrisment. "Don't worry," Rebecca said. "that's a good thing. I can't teach you today, but I'll find a way."

"Thanks," said Ahsoka. She stood up and put the book back on the shelf. "I've been wondering, Rebecca. What is the weather like here?"

Rebecca thought for a moment before answering. "We are in the state of California, which is large by our standards, and the weather can vary depending on location. As a general rule though, we have all four seasons, and all of the things that come with that. We have a lot of humidity in the summer, and it can get hot, sometimes over 90 degrees. In the winter it snows, and it can get as low as 20 degrees."

Ahsoka had no clue what measure they used for temperatures, but it sounded like it could get hot and cold here. She was particularly glad that she had been thrust onto a planet, or at least an area on the planet, that had warm days and nights. She appreciated the heat, as a Togruta. Her home world was a hot planet. It was nothing compared the the likes of Tantooine though, because it had grasslands and jungles.

"That's nice to know," said Ahsoka. "I like warm weather."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Rebecca. "I hope you enjoy next week. The weather report says that it will be in the high 90s, and might even cross 100 degrees. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare breakfast for the family. It's Sunday, and I like to make a nice meal because the whole family can spend the day together."

Hoping to busy herself in something useful, Ahsoka asked, "May I help?" Rebecca nodded, and they went to the kitchen together. Soon, Ahsoka was learning how to cook "chicken" eggs. She had been told that these chickens were the two-legged creatures she had seen earlier when they dove up to the home.

"Mmm… smells good here, thanks," said Daniel. He had just walked into the kitchen, holding a glass bottles of what Ahsoka perceived to be milk. "Here you go, honey," he said, setting the bottles on the counter with a thud. "The ol' cows really needed it this morning."

He turned to Ahsoka. "My life here is so interesting, which I like. I work for a high-tech company, and I milk cows. Ha! This life can be entertaining, can't it?" Not waiting for an answer to his rhetorical question, he went on. "So Ahsoka, would you like to see the trails in the woods? Peter and I made them a few months ago, and he's very proud of them. I am too, and I think you would like it. The birds are out too, so..."

"Yes!" Ahsoka was very excited, and ran to find her shoes.

Daniel laughed as he watched her go, and told his wife, "You know, Ahsoka is the most interesting character I've ever met. She acts four times her age, and has been through worse things than most will never go through in their entire lifetimes. But there's a spark of youthfulness in her still. I like that about her."

"Yes," said Rebecca. "I like that about her too. I think our kids will really like her too, once they get to know her."

Ahsoka came back, wearing her boots that she always wore. She rarely went about barefoot, but because she had came out of bed at night, she hadn't put them on, for fear that they would make too much noise.

"I'm ready," Ahsoka told Daniel with enthusiasm. She knew that a thunderstorm would have made the air very moist in the morning, possibly even having some fog, and she wanted to enjoy it.

"Follow me," said Daniel. He walked out the back door of his home, and led her through the shortly cut grass in the backyard.

Ahsoka listened, as she did when she was a child. As she thought about it, she realized that this was the first time in thirteen years she had ever had a chance to just admire nature and listen to the wildlife of a planet. Sure, there had been times on missions, but it had never been peaceful. Constantly there was the constant threat of getting killed, so the stress distracted from what was going on around her.

"Here we are," said Daniel. He pointed to a small well-worn dirt path in to woods. "This is out path. It wraps around the woods, and were you to follow it to the end, you would end up right back here. Do you want me to go with you, or would you like to go alone?"

Ahsoka thought for a moment, and then said, "I'd like to go alone if you don't mind."

Daniel nodded, and went back to the house. He'd been expecting Ahsoka to say that. Rebecca had told him what little she knew of Ahsoka's home planet, and he thought that being in the wild alone might help relax her mind, and he was right.

Ahsoka enjoyed her walk thoroughly. Her species did prefer to stay in large groups, but it was nice to have a break from the indoors. Being cooped up all day wasn't Ahsoka thing at all, and it was nice to have a breath of fresh air.

Many of the sounds belonged to creatures Ahsoka had never heard of before. Others sounds, like buzzing of the bee, were a familiar comfort for her. Then she heard them. _"Crickets! They have crickets!"_ If Ahsoka hadn't known that being noisy would scare the creatures away, she would have leaped and shouted with happiness.

The crickets symbolized home to Ahsoka. they always had, and now, she was hearing them again. It had been so long since she had heard their musical notes vibrate off of her montrals, and it felt so good and homely.

A wave of homesickness swept over her. Last time she had heard them was on the mission to Kiros, the Togruta colony, with Anakin. Oh how she wished their were other Togruta with her. When she had left the Jedi Temple, she had wanted to go back to her people on Shili. Now she thought that she would never see a fellow Togruta again, and it saddened her.

At least she would have crickets to listen too, to remind her of her home. She would be grateful for it, for as long as she lived here.

By the time Ahsoka got back, everyone were almost finished getting to eat breakfast. After the family sat down, she sat at her spot at the table, hungrily eating the... bacon? Yes, that's what they were all calling it. Is that what they called it? Whatever it was, it was delicious.

Then, Ahsoka remembered her lightsaber crystals. She put her hands in her pockets, and pulled them out. "I found out that I had these today," said Ahsoka. "I had no idea that I had them."

"What are they? They're beautiful," said Ruth, and she looked very curious. Rebecca looked very interested as well, while Peter suddenly looked bored out of his mind. Daniel seemed to reflect the mood of his son.

"They're lightsaber crystals," Ahsoka explained. "They are used to power weapons called lightsabers. They are like swords, except the blades are force-enhanced beams of super-heated plasma and lasers."

All looks of boredom left Peter's face instantly, and his face showed that her was very curious. Ruth, on the other had, put on that face of worry that she almost always had when Ahsoka was around. Then Peter asked, "Can you make them?"

Ahsoka's face darkened as she thought of the Jedi, her family, that betrayed her. Her last lightsabers had been stolen away from her by them, the very people she had called family. _"This weapon is your life!"_ She could hear Anakin's voice ringing in her head.

"No," Ahsoka said bluntly, and dropped them back into her pocket. She couldn't do it, not yet.

Peter was about to protest and ask why, but Daniel had seen Ahsoka's facial expressions and gave him a warning look to not press the matter any further.

* * *

**Q&A**

_Oh, what a world..._ A silent tribute to the book _The Wizard of Oz _and _The Hunt for Ziro_, this phrase seemed to fit perfectly with Ahsoka's thoughts on her home planet Shili.

_"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer." _This was the moral of _Friends and Enemies_, one of the episodes in the Hardeen arc.

Will Ahsoka react to Ruth in a way that might get her unwanted attention by the authorities? Nope, not at all. Ruth's character was created for two reasons: to show that not everyone is willing to accept Ahsoka with open arms (or even partially opened arms), and to expose Ahsoka's personal struggle in a way we haven't seen before.

Is Ruth going to cause some problems? Yep.

Why is Ruth so... insensitive? Watched too many alien movies? Nope, alien invasion films are not the problem for Ruth. She isn't trying to be insensitive, she is just concerned. Why? Ruth is a reserved person. She needs to warm up to people. Uh, and Togruta too.


	12. On The Road to Discovery

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for how long this took to get out. I actually finished it, but somehow it was deleted! I had to rewrite it, again, and so it took forever. Again, I'm really sorry. Enjoy!

Due to the announcement of Star Wars: Rebels, the sequel to Star Wars: The Clone Wars, this story will now be considered AU (alternative universe). It was very AU before, but it still conformed to Star Wars canon. That is now impossible for me to do.

* * *

Chapter 12: On the Road to Discovery

August 12, 2013 - 18.7 BBY

* * *

It was just another morning in the Birchwood household. Things had settled down since Ahsoka had arrived, and the family had fallen back into their normal schedule. Well, the new normal schedule.

The chickens had became Ahsoka's responsibility, but not because she was told to. She admired the animal's ability to forge and survive, and she had taken a liking to them, because she could relate to their way of life. It wasn't uncommon to see her expanding the chicken coop, thinking of ways to make their lives better, or just sitting down and watching them. David would often joke that Ahsoka was acting like some faithful servant to a group of children, and she had to admit that she was.

Peter and Ahsoka had become close friends over the past few weeks, and would tell each other things that they would have never told anyone else. Their relationship reminded Ahsoka of the relationship she had with Anakin. It was as if they were brother and sister, only this time, Ahsoka was the eldest.

Ahsoka would rarely speak about her past, and while it didn't bother most people, it made Rebecca worry. As a former doctor that would handle depressions, she realized that not speaking about the past was something that could be a breeding ground for depression. However, overall the Togruta was fine, so she did not explore it any further.

"Good morning," said Rebecca. "Are you ready for today?" Ahsoka had just walked out of her room, and sat down at the table.

"Yes, I think I am," she replied. Ahsoka was going with Rebecca to a science center a few hours drive away. The National Geographic, along with dozens of other scientific organizations, would be meeting her there to do a thorough scan of her biology, preform a few tests, and ask questions. It had taken a lot of convincing to get her to go, but eventually she said that she would go.

How thorough the scan was going to be bothered Ahsoka. Rebecca had told her that she would have her clothing on, however, the scans would show her body with them removed. Her lekku turned darker just thinking about it, as it was a very embarrassing thought. Thankfully, she had been promised that they would not release the full pictures publicly, and she had sensed that they were telling the truth.

"I can handle anything, don't worry," said Ahsoka. "I've had medical exams before. This won't be very different." Saying this, she grabbed a nearby bag of beef jerky, and popped a few into her mouth. "This is good. Reminds me of the rations the military gave me, just more flavorful."

Rebecca smiled, and sat down next to Ahsoka. "It's called beef jerky. It is made from cow, like those that we have in the backyard." She then looked at her closely, trying to see her how she felt about what she said next. "Are you doing this because people want you to, or for another reason?"

Ahsoka looked up, and raised her right eye marking in a questioning look. "Why would I do it for any other reason? If nobody wanted me to do this, I wouldn't be going today." Then it dawned on her what she was really being asked. "I don't feel like I'm being forced to do this. I am willingly going, because I think it will help you."

Rebecca nodded, and then started eating some oatmeal she had made for herself. "Good. Then are you ready to go? We have to leave soon, because I don't want to be late. Trust me, old guys and old ladies don't like it when people are late."

Ahsoka laughed, knowing how true it was. As a Jedi -well, a former Jedi- she had been to many meetings, and naturally she had been late to some. If not most, just like her master had tended to do. Of course, the elder Jedi were not pleased. "I'm ready when you are," she said.

Making sure to be quiet as not to wake the others, Ahsoka and Rebecca went out to the car. Everything that they needed was already in the car, and Rebecca was carrying her iPad mini. She had liked to use her old iPad for taking notes for work, and her husband had naturally made sure that she got the iPad mini when it came out - he was an Apple fan afterall.

As they were driving down the driveway, Ahsoka gestured to the iPad and asked, "May I look at that thing?" Rebecca nodded and Ahsoka picked it up. It was very different from the datapad she had, and it was much more colorful. It was also smaller and lighter.

Finding the lock button, she turned the iPad on. Ahsoka was unable to read any of the text on the screen, but she was able to guess what some of the on-screen controls were for. Putting it back she said, "Your datapads are very different than ours. It seems better in some ways, but not in all."

Rebecca was focused on driving, but she managed to reply. "That's interesting Ahsoka. I've never heard you say that something was better here in our world." That was true. The Republic's technology was far more advanced in almost every way, and it was a little surprising to find something slightly better, in some areas at least, on Earth.

"Maybe you aren't so unclivilized afterall," she joked. Both of them laughed a little at that. Ahsoka pulled out her datapad, and began to read all the medical information on Togruta she had. Usually she would have much more information when connected to the holonet, but what infomation she did have would suffice.

Ahsoka was lucky to have anything on her race on her datapad though. Because she was a Togruta, she had decided that it could be helpful to have an offline copy of her medical records and the Togruta biology onhand, just in case. During the war it had proved helpful whenever she was wounded, as not many human doctors had treated one of her kind before.

Scanning though the description of her people, the Togruta, Ahsoka saw the word _exotic_ in it for the hundredth time. It disgusted her every time she read it. _"Togruta females are known for their exotic looks, and blahblahblahblah. How annoying,"_ she thought. Well considering she was the only one of her species on this entire planet, she would have an opportunity to change at least one world's description of her kind.

"We're about halfway there," said Rebecca. "I need to stop and get gas for the car, and they have a restroom there. If you need to use it, I can walk you inside."

Ahsoka did need to use the restroom, so against what she felt in her mind, not her bladder, she said that she would prefer to use it. Rebecca acknowledged this, and drove into an empty gas station.

Rebecca then asked, "Would you like me to get some more beef jerky while I wait for you?"

"Oh, yes please. Thank you!"

Getting out of the car, they walked inside, both ignoring the clerk who was staring at Ahsoka with wide-eyes. When she had gone inside the small restroom, the clerk asked Rebecca, "Is that the alien that has been in the news?"

"Yep," she replied curtly. "She would appricate if you didn't stare at her like that too." Strangely, Rebecca had grown to be very protective over Ahsoka, and she didn't like it when anyone was too open abut their curiosity in any unprofessional manner.

Soon after Rebecca had bought a few bags of jerky, Ahsoka walked out, and they left the shop.

About an hour later, a very welcome sound was heard. "Drive for 1.3 miles. Your destination is on your right," said a robotic voice.

"Whew, am I gald that drive is almost over," said Ahsoka. "I'd be willing to do almost anything to get up." She chuckled and then said, "One thing is for sure, your people has yet to invent good and fast travel for the comman people."

"That is true," Rebecca said, not finding much humor is that. It made sense, as she didn't know what it could be like. Just then they arrived at the research building, and they parked near the front entrance.

* * *

Update #2: Corrected some additional grammar and spelling errors.


	13. Dawn Before Revelation

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

It's time for another chapter! By the way, please check out my others stories as well. I just launched Extraterrestrial (another Ahsoka-on-Earth story), and Justified (a story of Ahsoka going back in time before The Clone Wars), just hit chapter three. Oh, you will find a hint about the future of this story in one of them, but I'll say it here as well: Alien will become a saga! Yep, once this story is fully complete (which is a long ways away), a sequel will be following it.

* * *

Chapter 13: Dawn Before Revelation

August 12, 2013 - 18.7 BBY

* * *

Rebecca unlocked the car, and the two of them stepped out. Ahsoka was careful not to hit the tips of her growing montrals on the ceiling as she got out, and was unsuccessful. "Ow!" She touched her right montral to check for any damage, but it was fine, except for a small bruise in a less-sensitive area.

Rebecca walked to the other side of the car and asked, "Are you ok?" She would have told just any other kid to live with it and move on, but she wanted to be extra careful with Ahsoka. She never knew what might come up, due to her being a completely different species.

Ahsoka rubbed her montral and said, "Don't worry Rebecca, I didn't bump anything too sensitive." She appreciated Rebecca's concern more than she was willing to admit. Sometimes it could be annoying; she hated being treated like a fragile doll. There was little room for complaint though, because that was certainly not the way she was being treated, even if it flet like it sometimes.

Sensing that there was not a soul in the parking lot, Ahsoka let out air she didn't know she had been storing up. She would much rather deal with the head-turning and stares when she was in an enclosed enviroment, where everyone knew what they were doing. At least for now, that is. It wasn't like she could be with only those who had been trained and Rebecca's family exclusively forever.

Holding Ahsoka's datapad and her iPad, Rebecca lead the former to the front enterance. If you were to look at the building, you would not think much of it. It was a plain brick building, with windows of course. Almost like any small-sized office building that you would find in the suburbs. To Ahsoka, it was a dinosuar of a building. Not modern to her at all. However, when the two of them stepped inside, they saw why this particular location had been chosen for them to come to.

For the people of Earth, it was a technological and medical miracle. To Ahsoka, it was strange and alien to her, but she understood instantly that it was amazingly high-tech for this planet. Computer monitors that were more like giant flat-screens that you would use in a small movie theater hung from the ceiling, giving the overall status of all the instruments that were setup in the building's only room.

Several tables had been setup with iPads that were linked to portable cylinder enclosere chambers, obviously to hold lifeforms such as Ahsoka. Each one of these iPads were running apps (or programs, as Ahsoka would call them) that were so unlike any that they had ever seen before. It appeared that they would be capable of giving a live, 3D color readout of everything happening in that cylinder.

Ahsoka looked at the far-back of the room, and noticed a group of a dozel peopled huddled together in a circle, discussing whatever they were planning on doing. Apparently that hadn't noticed their arrivel, and when Rebecca saw them as well, she spoke to them in a humorus manner. "Too excited about what's coming to see what had come I see, huh?"

The enire group saw Ahsoka, and smiled. She smiled back unsure of what to do. Then one of them, a woman, stepped forward. She reconized her as the person who had asked questions for the National Geographic many weeks ago.

"Hello," said the woman. "You likely don't remember my name. My name is Ruth, and I'll be leading the group of scientists who will be exammining you today. Were going to try and make this as least boring and embarrassing as possible for you, which I am sure you'll like."

Ruth's eyes twinkled with excitement, and looked at Rebecca. "I miss working with you, so this will be fun for both of us. And Ahsoka, if you want I can teach you how all our stuff works as we go along. Sound like a good idea to me, what do you think?"

"Whatever you think is best," Ahsoka shrugged. "It sounds like a good idea, and Rebecca, be my guest with planning this. I haven't prepared for this, as I couldn't, and you know better than they do how I work." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Ahsoka," said Rebecca quietly. "It might be a good idea for you to washup while we are getting ready. There is a shower though the door at the end of the room for you. Here is some soap for you," and saying this, she handed Ahsoka a small bar of soap. which she accepted gratefully.

Half an hour later, Ahsoka was finished, and she walked out of the bathroom. While she wasn't dirty before, it made sense to her why Rebecca had requested her to shower. It was likely that the group had wanted her to be clean enough that when they took pictures or skin samples, hardly anything would be in the way. She knew this for a class she had taken at the temple as a youngling, which of course she hated. Now that information was useful to her, at least a little.

"Ahsoka, now that you are ready, let meshow you what we are going to do first," said Ruth. Leading the Togruta girl to another part of the room, she gestered to a large circular device Ahsoka had seen earlier.

"This is an MRI scanner," explained Ruth. "Unlike most scanners of this type, it has been designed to create a 3D image of every single part of your body, and it can go through clothing. This will take the most time, and then for the rest of the day we will bne taking samples and doing tests. How does that sound to you?"

Ahsoka shrugged. "I can handle it. It doesn't seem that hard," she joked. This was going to be the slightly-embarrising part that Rebecca had told her abour earlier, and she wanted to go into as little detail as possible about the machine.

"Please, step inside," said one of the male scientists, directing her to lie down on the MRI scanner's table. Ahsoka glanced at Rebecca, and she gave her an encouraging smile. Once she saw that it was safe, she slid herself down on her back. The white table went into the circular machine, and started to make a whirring sound.

"Close your eyes and remain still. It will take some time," said Rebecca. Ahsoka couldn't respond, but there was little need to do so. So she complied with the request, and relaxed.

The MRI machine took a little under an hour to complete its task, and when it was finished a complete digtial 3D model of Ahsoka's body had been made, along with accompanying photos.

Ahsoka looked at the iPad in her hand, taking a look at all the information that had just been gathered. It wasn't anything new for her really, and anything that wasn't an image she couldn't understand. Just the same, it was still facinating to look at a render of her own body, and then cut away sections at will to see what is underneath.

Setting the iPad down, she asked Ruth, "What do I have to do next?" Ahsoka knew that it would be silling if she thought the scan would be the bulk of it. She was right; the scan being everything she had to do was far from the truth.

Ruth stared into space and thought for a few seconds. Then she replied, "It is likely that we will take a blood sample next. After that, we're going to do something a little more fun. Basically we will let you show off what you can do, and we will be tracking your body movements using an active optical system, or AOS for short."

Rebecca walked over with a needle and suction kit, used for drawing blood. "This won't hunt much," she said. "Please give me your arm."

Apparently Rebecca had been right. Ahsoka barely felt anything, and this part had been very easy. They had made sure to draw as little blood as possible, as they did not know how much they could safely draw.

Ahsoka was about to speak, but was startled by something she had never felt before. Her body and lekku paled considerably. Something was wrong in the force. The feelings felt fresh, yet whatever they were caused by hadn't happened recently. They were feelings of pain... terrible pain.

Shaking, Ahsoka stood, and put her left hand to her forehead. Something was very, very wrong. What was it? She couldn't tell yet, but she knew that the answer would come through the force soon. It always did. This time, it was so unique, that she was more worried than she would ever had been before when the force was telling her something.

Rebecca watched Ahsoka, concerned at this sudden change of appearence. Putting a hand on her sholder she asked, "What is it? Are you alright?"

Ahsoka nearly whispered, and spoke, "Yes, I'm fine. I just need some fresh air." Saying this, she walked briskly outside to the back of the building. The feelings of pain continued to get stronger. and what else was it that she felt, desperation? She needed to hurry to the picnic bench at the building's back, before she collapsed.

Rebecca was running after Ahsoka, leaving behind a baffled group of scientists, while she was hoping to find out what was wrong. "Ahsoka, wait! You need to talk to me!"

Ahsoka ignored her, and continued to go to the picnic table. As soon as she reached it, she sat down, and put her face in her hands. This was unlike anything she had ever known before. _"I can't control this! Now I'm starting to get senses of not only emotional pain, but also physical pain. I wonder how I can explain this to Rebecca, let alone myself," _she thought.

Panting, Rebecca sat down next to her, and looked at the forrest. "You know, not telling me what brought about your sudden change in demeanor is not going to help any of us."

Ahsoka took her face out of her hands, and looked at Rebecca. "I know, but how can I explain it? I hardly even know myself," she said. "I am feeling something wrong in the force, unlike anything I have ever felt before."

Ahsoka gasped as she felt the death of nearly five hundred Jedi, all at once. It was unbarable. Not realizing that she was speaking her thoughts outloud, she screamed, "Why are we dying?!"

Hyperventilating, Ahsoka put her hands on her montrals, and fell to the ground. Rebecca's eyes went wide open at this, and began running back to the lab, but not before she heard Ahsoka scream. "ANAKIN! NO!" Just after this the Togruta girl passed out, and Rebecca ran.

"Ruth," yelled Rebecca. "Ruth!" She was stunned at what had just transpired outside, and all she knew is that Ahsoka must need medical attention.

"What is it?" Ruth was perplexed, and looked at the scientists around her. They were just as confused as she was.

"Something is wrong with Ahsoka; I don't know what, but she started screaming and then passed out! " Then she pointed at two of the male scientists and said, "You go and get one of the medical beds for her. The rest of you continue studying her scan and blood sample. Ruth and I will go out and carry Ahsoka inside."

Everyone went into action quickly, and for the third time in the past three minutes, Rebecca ran. This time Ruth ran with her, and they found Ahsoka still unconscious on the ground. "Help me pick her up," instructed Rebecca.

Telling Ruth what to do was entirely pointless, as they both understood what they had to do. They had been trained for this, as doctors and scientists. Rebecca grabbed Ahsoka's legs, and Ruth grabbed the other side of her body. Ruth was surprised how light the girl was. They hadn't taken her weight yet, and she had expected it to be high, but it clearly wasn't the case.

Soon Ahsoka was resting, although unpeacefully, in a bed that had been setup for her. An ambulence was on it's way, because they were worried that they would need some different medical equipment, so just in case tey were going to trasfer her to a private section at a nearby hosptital.

Ahsoka would not wake for three long days.

* * *

**Q&A Time**

Don't worry snips...

This is a refrence to _Landing at Point Rain_, when Anakin says, "Don't worry snips, we aren't going anywhere that." Unlike this story, they actually do end up going to that location, and Ahsoka throws his words back into in his face when he complains.

I sense...

The part of Ahsoka feeling the effects of Anakin's fall was put into this chapter intentionally. Ruth Birchwood, Rebecca's daughter, could not be present, otherwise it would end all of her ill feelings twoards her. Also, it was critical that she be in the presence of those other than Rebecca when it happened.

18.7 BBY

Why is it this date? According to Alien's canon, the Milky Way is far, far away from the galaxy in which Star Wars is located. Thus, the vibrations in the force will take time to travel. Much faster than the speed of light, but there is a slight gap.

Pain, terrible pain...

This is clearly a refrence to Yoda's remarks on Anakin's lost inner struggle. I wanted to reflect that here.

More to say, have you Master?

Indeed, I have much more to say. Unlike most stories, Anakin's fall will _not_ suddenly click in for Ahsoka. She will in fact never know the full story in this part of the Alien saga.

Please review, and I look forward to updating soon! I hope this chapter was worth the wait.


	14. Ruminations of the Fallen

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

_"Ash'aru, ki mela pari kalu'mi, sol'ura._

_Together, we wake and share my chase, when the sun rises._

_Ash'aru, ki nedamáti mak'aru, taak'ura._

_Together, we find shelter in each other's arms, when the storm comes._

_Lumi'ru valura'mi kaminila, nok'ura._

_The light from your eyes shows me the way, when night falls." -The Torguta's Poem of Love, When Night Falls._

Author's Note: Introducing the most critical and thought-provoking chapter of the Alien saga yet, Ruminations of the Fallen. We finally dive into what has been going on around Ahsoka during this time, including the politics of her arrival. This is also the most depressing chapter I have ever written, and I hope you like it.

* * *

Chapter 14: Ruminations of the Fallen

August 16, 2013 - 18.6 BBY

* * *

Rebecca had called her husband to let him know of the situation. She would not abandon Ahsoka; she couldn't. Something was wrong, and whatever it was, she wanted to be there when the Togruti girl finally awoke.

This was the beginning of the third day that Ahsoka had not awaken at all, and it worried Rebecca substantially. Another thing bothered her. Ahsoka would consistently cry out as in pain or sob as if a friend had died, while she was asleep. It was random as well, and it only got worse and worse. Whatever was causing this, it wasn't good. It was something darker.

To engage herself, Rebecca had began working on Ahsoka's school paperwork for the upcoming school year. She had desperately wanted the girl to attend high school, along with other people her own age. Sadly, Ahsoka wasn't advanced enough in many of the subjects that delt with the English language, so she could not attend high school. Instead, she would have to attend Walmogo, a local school that combined elementary and middle school into one large building.

_"Ahsoka is what, sixteen years old? There will be fifteen year-olds at the school, so at least she has some people that are near her age." _As Rebecca was filing paperwork for Ahsoka's enrollment, she had a thought that made it much easier to send her to a school with people not her own age. _"If she attends a school with people younger than her, she has less of a chance of getting bullied - physically, that is."_

As she sealed the needed criteria into an envelope, Rebecca thought back with satisfaction on what had been accomplished so far. It was true that whatever was wrong with Ahsoka currently just might be a setback, possibly a major changer I the pace things were going at, but things were moving in the right direction. She had grown to love her like a child, and she wanted her to have as normal as a life as possible. How normal that could be she did not know, but the goal was for her to be treated just like anyone else should be.

_BOOM! _A thunderstorm could be heard growing, but everyone was safely inside. An otolaryngologist alked over to Rebecca to give his complete report on Ahsoka and her hearing, based off of what he had discovered so far.

They talked for some time, and then he closed. "Apparently, there are several weak spots in her montrals and lekku. Interestingly enough, it appears that her lekku are connected with her brain, as the brain seems to grow inside the lekku's hallow spaces ever so slightly," explained the scientist.

"That's interesting," said Rebecca. "She certainly did not stress the importance of being careful with them as much as I would have expected her to, given this new information." She sighed. Ahsoka was always putting the needs of others before her own. The girl was so unselfish! She couldn't help imagining just what had made her to act as she did. Ahsoka had been, in her opinion, very open about her past. However, she had made it clear many times that she did not want to talk about her past, or at least certain parts of it.

Rebecca thought about the night Ahsoka had told them about her getting hunted down by lizard-like humanoids, and how her friend had died in her arms. If she could tell that story, what could be worse? When she had first arrived, she had said something about being betrayed by her best friends. Maybe that is the experience she resents trying to remember, and made her so unselfish. If Ahsoka didn't want to share something though, she wouldn't, and Rebecca wouldn't probe for an answer. It wasn't her place.

* * *

"Sir, the bill cannot be passed while we are facing something the public doesn't understand. We just don't have public support, so we don't have the votes of course."

President Danho wanted to scream at him and smash the cell phone, but instead he just groaned. He knew that shooting the messenger was a bad idea. "Mr. Speaker, put the vote to the floor anyway. All odds are against us, but we must try. Starting now is better than starting later," he said.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives sighed and said, "I understand sir, and will do as you request." Then the line went dead.

After many weeks, a bill had finally been presented to a committee that would amend the Constitution of the United States to protect all emotionally and physically aware species like humans, but not exclusive to mankind.

This bill, the Rights Expansion Act, was entirely due to Ahsoka's arrival on Earth. President Danho and his advisors' fears were that someone, something, or a group would take advantage of the laws that were currently in place. Sure, and act had been passed that prohibited discrimination due to a human's color, but this was entirely different. Not only was Ahsoka's skin color different, which had become not relevant, she was of a different race. To sum it up, she wasn't part of mankind or the human race, and consequently had no legal protection under the law.

This was not the only new piece of legislation that had been presented, and there was one that worried people more than any other, the Alien Invasion Precaution and Prevention Act. If enacted, this bill would give the United States the largest military ever seen on Earth, and it would increase NASA's budget to an unimaginable size. In total, the increase to the budget would be $2 Trillion per year.

The consequences this bill could possibly have on the world were endless. Of them, money was of the least concern to Presedent Danho. Yes, it was beyond affordable, and he realized that. Yes, it was something to be concerned about. But no, it was not the most frightening thing.

Space travel and space warfare would become an immediate reality. That was something the United Sates and all the people of Earth would not be ready for. doing this would be a signal to whatever else was out there, besides for Ahsoka, that Earth was ready for a higher form of war.

A war that the human race could not possibly win.

He had been receiving regular updates from Rebecca Birchwood about what she was learning from Ahsoka, and the president couldn't help feeling smaller and smaller every time. The military was so powerful, that had they known Earth's location and tried to invade, the entire planet would be under their rule in minutes.

Besides for the military, almost everything was more advanced. Ahsoka had been fighting a war for a Galactic Republic, which as the name implied, controlled an enitre galaxy. While they had been fighting a civil war, they had clearly mastered the art of negotiation if they could do it across species and planets. There was so much they could learn from this superior culture.

_"Speaking of Ahsoka, I wonder what's wrong with her,"_ President David Danho thought. He had, of course, been informed when she had been hospitalized, and was concerned for her. However, she would recover. What he wondered more about was her mental condition and whose side she was actually on. He, along with Rebecca and Maddie, had noticed that Ahsoka had hinted that she had been betrayed by this Republic, and its Jedi Order in which she served. As President he knew from personal experience that someone who had just been betrayed would take a long time to trust anyone fully. That trust would be something they would desperately need, should other people of her race or order arrive on Earth.

* * *

"Peter, why are you so worried about Ahsoka? She'll be fine, just like she always is," said Ruth. The two siblings, Peter and Ruth, were sitting on stools outside, eating watermelon. It was one of the last days of summer break, and they intended to enjoy the warm weather and outdoors while they could.

Peter thought about Ruth's question. "I guess it's because I'm friends with Ahsoka, and you're just mean to her," he shrugged. He hadn't failed to notice her attitude towards Ahsoka, and his nine year-old mind, he couldn't understand why she would act like she did. Unlike Ruth, he haven't read anything about her. He had simply asked her personally. This had made him more open from the start.

"I'm not mean to her," protested Ruth. "I'm just careful!"

Peter rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. Nearly every time you talk to her you say something rude, and you know it. Could you, like, not? It's just so annoying."

Ruth was upset at her brother, but she knew that what he was saying was certainly not far from the truth. However, by this point she was in denial. There was nothing that would change her opinion on Ahsoka, and how she treated her. Or so she thought.

* * *

_Heat, pain, suffering, broken hearts, and betrayal. The force was screaming in agony._

As Ahsoka awoke, these fresh waves of emotion hit her with such force, that she gasped and sat up very strait, taking deep breaths of fresh air. She knew that it was coming off of Anakan. She tried contacting him with the force, but then she was shocked to find that that their bond had been broken!

Ahsoka gave a little gasp of surprise at this. Something was wrong, so very wrong, but she was unable to find out what was causing it. It was impossible for her to do anything. Emotions continued to flood her thoughts, and she then did something she had never done before, except for practice. She cut herself off from the force, and shielded herself from receiving anything.

Rebecca had heard Ahsoka wake up, and walked into the room. "You're finally awake! How do you feel?"

"I feel just fine," lied Ahsoka. Changing the subject she asked, "How long have I been out?" She couldn't remember herself falling asleep, but the last thing she remembered was an unbrearable amount of emotions hitting her, as if they were crushing her mind. She must have fainted after that.

"You've been asleep for three days now, almost four," said Rebecca. Then she turned her mouth into a frown. "What happened?"

"I don't know," replied Ahsoka truthfully. _"Had someone she knew died? Anakin? Obi-Wan?" _There were so many things on the table, many of which she did not want to consider. Anakin dying did not seem right to her though. He was the Chosen One, and if he died then he wouldn't have fulfilled his destiny. Trying not to think to much about it she said, "Anyway, I'm fine now. Shall we go on with the tests?"

Rebecca resisted the uge to laugh at the teenager. "Ahsoka, you've had a seizure and been unconscious for three days! You are in no condition to do anything other than rest here at the hospital or home. I think you have a little comment sense."

"But I only passed out! I've gone through so many things worse that that," protested Ahsoka. "I almost died more times than I can count. This, is nothing!"

Ahsoka had a point, Rebecca would give her that much. Based off of what little she had been told, there was no arguing that she had been through horrific situations. However, she would put her foot down this time. "No, Ahsoka. You must rest! I will take you home today so you can recover."

"My home isn't anywhere near here," muttered Ahsoka. As soon as she said those words, she regretted it. _"Why am I getting upset so easily? I'm not like this!" _Rebecca looked surprised at her words, but didn't say anything. "I'm... I'm so sorry," Ahsoka apologized, "That was rude of me."

Ahsoka began sobbing hysterically. "It's okay, I forgive you," comforted Rebecca. "Let's get you some rest." She was worried now more than ever before. Ahsoka was not stable at all; possibly a depression. She was trained to deal with this, and knew that her going back would be the best thing for her. However, being alone was not. She didn't know that it was something the Togruta had issues with, but she knew that Ahsoka did, just from observation.

Ahsoka was about the leave the room and go with, but she stopped. "Wait, if you don't mind, can I meditate for a little while?" Rebecca gave her concent, and left Ahsoka alone in the room. Turning off the lights and unblocking the force, she meditated, seeking an answer. Now matter how much she opened herself to the force, she did not receive an answer. Not a vision, thought, or anything that would give her a clue, although what was hard is that she didn't know what she was looking for. All she felt were the now-familiar emotions of pain, heartbreak, and betrayal.

Ahsoka felt betrayed as well. She needed an answer! These emotions she was afraid she couldn't control, and she didn't want to tell Rebecca the entire story of her life to deal with the pain. She had to keep it to herself! But deep inside, she knew it would only drive her mad. After an hour of continuing to try, she gave up, and attempted to stop the surge of emotions coming. She failed.

But one thing was clear to Ahsoka, and it troubled her very much. The dark side of the force was now larger and greater in power the light.

The Jedi Order had fallen.

* * *

Author's Notes

The portion of this chapter about Rebecca trying to understand what made Ahsoka so unselfish is an interesting topic that I decided to put in here. Now, her conclusion is wrong. Ahsoka, while being a former Jedi, is still trying to act like one. It is a part of her now, and is not difficult to do. It's natural for her. As someone looking from the outside, who as no idea what being a Jedi means, you can understand where Rebecca is coming from.

Ahsoka's meditation was inspired by the work of .5851.

This will be the only chapter that you will see with so many locations and events. I don't like it at all, but it was necessary to see what is going on everywhere else.

**Q&A Time**

Will Han and Chewbacca discover Ahsoka on a mission?

Nope. Leia or Luke will.

Is she facing some kind of trauma experience?

Are you referring to the scene in the last chapter? If so, yes and no. Anakin initiated Operation Knightfall, and while she was asleep Order 66 was executed.

Does Dooku, Grievous, or other surviving Jedi come to Earth?

Dooku and Grievous will not come to Earth, as at this point in the timeline they are six feet under.


	15. Alone Together

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

WARNING: Alien begins to go down a darker path with this chapter, and for this reason, the rating is changing to K+ from T for violence and what could be classified as gore, due to a dream Ahsoka has.

* * *

Chapter 15: Alone Together

August 17, 2013 - 18.6 BBY

* * *

Shortly after midnight, Ahsoka woke up to get a drink of water. The day had been very overwhelming for her, and she was almost glad that she was having trouble sleeping, because whenever she fell asleep, she would have reoccurring nightmares. Whenever she awoke she could not remember what she had dreamed about, but whatever they were, they were very dark.

When Ahsoka walked back into her room, she was shocked to find thirteen year-old padawan Ashla Tra, lightsaber ignited, in her room! Ashla was wearing tattered clothing that barely covered her person, and burn marks were all over her body. The glass of water Ahsoka was holding feel to the ground and shattered due to get shock, consequently getting Ashla's attention. She leaped upon Ahsoka, and attempted to pin her the ground.

Ahsoka might have been caught off guard by Ashla's assault, but her experience that she had gained while on the run from clones had payed off, and she easily knocked Ashla against the wall using a powerful force push, causing her lightsaber to deactivate and hit the ground. Ahsoka reached for the weapon with the force, activated it, and pointed it at Ashla's neck. Then she demanded, "What are you doing here?"

Ashla's eyes widened when she recognized Ahsoka. Then she asked in Togruti, /Padawan Tano? Is that you?/ She looked very frightened and confused. /I don't understand what has happened!/

Deactivating the lightsaber, Ahsoka asked, /What do you mean? What has happened?/

Ashla buried her face into Ahsoka's chest and sobbed aloud. /The clones, they shot us! Master Ti and I got back, and they tried to kill us!/

Ahsoka was stunned, and thought about Ashla's words as she held her fellow Togruta comfortingly. _"The clones? Why would they try to kill Master Ti and Padawan Tra?"_ Her mind instantly went to the strange feeling she had been getting over the past few days. It would make sense if this was the cause of her mental breakdown, but she desperately hoped it wasn't true, or that it was only a few clones. After all, clones had betrayed her before. Bruising that thought aside, she attempted to focus on the present.

Ashla was so scared, and Ahsoka tried to comfort the girl by singing an old Togruti poem she remembered her mother singing to her from infancy. /

Ash'aru, ki mela pari kalu'mi, sol'ura. Ash'aru, ki nedamáti mak'aru, taak'ura. Lumi'ru valura'mi kaminila, nok'ura.

Together, we wake and share my chase, when the sun rises. Together, we find shelter in each other's arms, when the storm comes. The light from your eyes shows me the way, when night falls./

Ahsoka found that the girl was exhausted from whatever ordeal she had been through, for she was now asleep in her arms. Gently she carried Ashla to her own bed, and quietly tucked her in. When she had finished, Rebecca walked into the room. The lights were off, so unlike Ahsoka, she couldn't see.

"Ahsoka," whispered Rebecca, "Was that noise coming from your room? Are you okay?" She was very tired, and failed to notice how disordered Ahsoka's room and become, and that there was someone else in her bed.

"I'm fine," reassured Ahsoka. "Don't worry, I just went to get a drink of water. Sorry for disturbing you." Hearing this, Rebecca went groggily back to bed, oblivious to what had happened. Ahsoka chuckled to herself. She knew that her friend's reaction to Ashla's arrival would not be nearly as good at this time of night, and it wouldn't surprise her if she forgot about the whole thing by morning, should she had told her. No, it would be better for her to wait until morning, when the family was gathered for breakfast.

Ahsoka continued humming mostly to herself as she thought about Ashla, and how she would change things for herself and everyone else. While it would be slightly more traumatizing for Ashla, as she had not gone through nearly as much as she had, she would slowly grow used to the stares and the way people would treat her. Ahsoka herself knew that she had a long ways to go, so having someone of her own race, a minor in her charge, she knew would force her to adapt much more quickly.

Thinking about Ashla's remark regarding the clones was unsettling, but Ahsoka wasn't happy that she saw it as not very alarming. It wasn't her fault that she now had a much lower opinion of the clones than she had be fore; afterall, they had turned on her in the blink of an eye, without even thinking about what they were doing. So had the clones really turned on Ahsla? It was likely, and unless she herself said that they didn't, she would believe her fellow Togruta. The fact that she was a Jedi was no longer relavent, as her trust in the Jedi had been forever shaken.

Ahsoka couldn't sleep that night. She had too much on her mind...

* * *

_Darkness surrounded me. "Where am I?"_

_There was a scream, then a voice echoed off the walls of an empty, pitch black, room. "This is the darkness in a life that no longer exists."_

_There it was again. Another scream, more like that of a woman's screech, sounded and echoed through the void. Then suddenly shadows appeared, through thick black smoke, only slightly brighter than that of the black nothingness around me. They formed a skull, a mask of death, it's only purpose to strike fear into the hearts of others._

_"YOU'RE A JEDI!" Hysterical laughter, deep breathing, screams and shrieks of women and children, heart-wrenching cries pleading for mercy. What was that? Could it be? I gasped, and nearly fainted, knowing I would have if I could have done so. The temple was aflame, rotting bodies and blood decorating the floor. Younglings, cut into halves, their rotting flesh exposing their innards and bones._

_Then I inspected one of the corpses, although I did not do so willingly. I looked at the rotten face, and I was stunned when I saw that the face had belonged to Katooni, the girl I had trained. Her expression was no longer visible; too much of her had become like chaff in the wind. But I could still hear her scream, as her body had been blasted. Blasted by clones._

_I had never seen carnage such as this, not even in nightmares. But this was much worse, as it felt so... real. My horrified soul would be haunted forever by this memory of this dream. This was not something that was just created in my brain, this was not one of my visions; this was not a figment of my imagination. This was reality, although it was many lightyears away._

_I heard running feet, and the scream of a girl. I turned around, seeking out the source. Then I saw ghost-like men, wearing eerily familiar armor, and they casted their haunting lights on a young girl. Those men; I recognized them, they were clones, and the girl was Ashla! She was running, blaster bolts firing at her relentlessly, and then she screamed as she feel into a hole, not unlike the one I had fallen into when I had arrived on Earth. Just as quickly as the portal had appeared, it vanished, just as it had swallowed the Togruta girl whole._

_The lights disappeared, and I could see no longer, I heard a voice crackle evilly, "The purge, the purification of the users of the force, has begun, my apprentice. You have done well." The sound of that voice was not something unfamiliar, and it caused me tremble in fear._

_Suddenly a hand clasped my neck. I struggled; I couldn't breathe. I tried to call for help, but my body would not follow my commands. I couldn't see. And then, oh my, my horns were in agonizing pain! I felt them getting crushed. The unknown being before me let me go, and I writhed, dying on the floor, blood flowing from my throat._

_I gave one last scream in pain, crying, no, I was weeping for my people, as I died on the floor, on top of the body of what had been all that remained of my legacy at the Jedi Order. I could not feel my own self._

_And then I awoke._

* * *

Sweating, Ahsoka opened her eyes. That dream was terrifying, and what terrified her even more is that she was almost certain that what she had seen was something that was real. It made sense. She had known due to her attack of emotions that the Jedi Order had been eliminated, and this was only confirming that. It was just scarier when you watched even a small portion of it in a nightmare. Pulling the sweat-drenched sheets off of herself, she got out of bed and looked at the time. _"Only three in the morning, I should have enough time to get myself and Ashla ready," _she thought to herself.

/Ashla! Ashla, get up!"/ Ahsoka whispered, and the girl groaned and rolled out of bed. It was three in the morning, and she needed to get Ashla ready and explain everything to her, before she spoke with Rebecca and Daniel. As Ashla began to get out of bed and wake up, Ahsoka hurried over to Ruth's closent and snuck out some clothing that would be more sutible to wear in public than a battle-damaged cloth uniform. She successfuly aquired the article of clothing without waking anyone else up, and hurried back.

Directing Ashla the the refresher, Ahsoka whispered to her to put the clothing on. Then she walked slowly to the end of the hall to the kitchen and inning room, but when she heard voices, she hid behind the corner.

"Daniel, I'm so happy for you! Have a good day at work." Rebecca was speaking to Daniel, and she had a very good reason to be excited for him. Today he and his team at Apple would be launching Mavricks, their new computer operating system.

"I'm sure I will honey." Ahsoka heard him kiss his wife, and then head out the door. She was happy for both of them, and yet she didn't want to witness it. It was still uncomfortable for her to see, as for her entire life she had been discouraged from such things.

Turning around the corner, Ahsoka showed herself to Rebecca. "Hi Rebecca," she said nervously. "There is something I need to speak with you about."

Watching her husband drive away out the window Rebecca asked, "Sure, what is it?"

Her voice just above a whisper, Ahsoka said, "We have visitor. A Jedi, like I used to be, and a member of my species. She is just thirteen years old, and very young. Please, don't go to her now; I need to speak to her myself first. But I needed to warn you, so you could speak to Ruth." With pleading eyes she added, "Please, whatever you do, please tell Ruth to be kind to her. I don't know if Ashla could handle Ruth's attitude towards my species like I can."

Rebecca was shocked, but decomposed herself and asked, "How did she come here? And her name is Ashla?"

"Yes," Ahsoka replied simply. "She is in my room, and she arrived the same way I did. By falling through a portal in the ground." She was completely unable to explain in anymore detail about it, as both she and Ashla had no clue how exactly it happened. All they knew is that it did.

Rebecca took in a deep breath. _"That changes things,"_ she thought. "Okay, it looks like I need to make a phone call. Call me when you are ready, Ahsoka."

Ahsoka gave a slight bow in gratitude, and left the room. She had scarcely walked a few steps whe she saw Ashla right in front of her, trembling with fear. /Ashla! What are you doing here?/

/I don't know,/ Ashla replied truthfully. /I don't know where I am! A-and Master Ti is dead!/ She gave a little sob and went on saying, /We were on a mission to Raxus when we received a message from the temple saying that the war was ver; that it was time to go back. Our communications were jammed shortly after that, and so we didn't get back for many weeks. When we did.../

Ashla broke and started crying in Ahsoka's arms for the second time in the past few hours. Ahsoka didn't to now what to say. If wpthe vision or nightmare she had seen was indeed the last few moments of Shaak Ti's life, and the events that occurred to Ashla just moments fore she arrived, she too would be in a similar emotional state.

Switching to basic Ashoka said confortingly, "It's going to be alright Ashla. You're safe now, far away from the clones. I'm staying with kind people, and they will be kind to you too. It is going hard, but even though things will be difficult, it is better than getting massacred in a holocaust like the rest of our kind." The statement certainly was not a happy one, but it was a great relief to the young padawan.

Ahsla sniffed Ina few tears. /Thank you, Padawan Tano,/ she whispered. She hesitated and then said, /I'm so sorry about what happened to you./

Ahsoka wanted to cry too, but she didn't. Here was a child that was not at fault for anything that had happened to her, and had likely been told the same story about how she, Ahsoka Tano, was now an evil person, and yet she still believed in her. A child saw light, where many of the old and wise did not.

/It's okay Ashla, I'm safe now. And you're safe too./ Ahsoka, however, was not sure if what she said was really true. The force had told her enough; the Jedi Order was being exterminated, likely by the clones. She did not have the full story though, and she was almost certain she never would.

* * *

Rebecca hadn't missed Ahsoka and Ashla's interaction. It was hard to miss anything when someone was crying in your own home, just a few feet away from you, even if they were not in the same room. She had walked in unnoticed and was able to take a quick peek at Ashla. She, like Ahsoka, had lekku and montrals, although they were noticeably smaller in size. Also, she had red skin, and her facial marking were in a very different pattern.

It also did not take Rebecca very long to notice that Ashla was wearing Ruth's garden clothes. _"I wonder why she is borrowing Ruth's clothing," _she thought. _"She must have arrived with her own clothing, right?"_

Stepping outside of the room so she would not be noticed, Rebecca continued to try to listen. She knew that Ahsoka, and likely Ashla as well, would be able to sense her normally, but they were both too distracted to pay attention. The language they were speaking in was completely unfamiliar to her, except it sounded like a much longer version of the few odd words Ahsoka would briefly say.

Suddenly, Ahsoka switched languages. Rebecca didn't understand why, but she did. "It's going to be alright Ashla," Ahsoka said. "You're safe now, far away from the clones. I'm staying with kind people, and they will be kind to you too. It is going hard, but even though things will be difficult, it is better than getting massacred in a holocaust like the rest of our kind."

_"Massacred? What does she mean? Why would anybody be massacring the Togruta? It doesn't make any sense," _Rebecca thought. Her mind went immediately to World War II, and how Adlof Hitler tried to massacre the Jews. Rebecca groaned. _"Maybe that is what is happening to Ahsoka and her race, just in a different way."_ If that was true, it would explain a lot of things, but make other things even more confusing.

The conversation was continued in Togruti from that point in, but it was apparent that it was coming to a close. Hurrying to her room, Rebecca picked up the phone and dialed the secret White House Staff number.

As usual, Rebecca got the entry message which said, "This is the White House Staff phone number. If you do not have explicit permission to use this line, you will be prosecuted. Please enter your multiple-digit code." She entered her code, and then asked for the president. He was in a meeting, so she was forced to wait a few minutes. Finally, he answered.

"Hello Mrs. Birchwood," said President David Danho. "What is it? I must say I didn't expect a call from you at this hour," he chuckled.

"Sorry, sir," Rebecca apologized. "It's just we have a small situation. Nothing too big, but a big change in plans. Another one of Ahsoka's species has arrived!"

The line was silent for a moment, as the President of the United States thought about what to say. "That's, um, unexpected. Is everything alright? With all of you, I mean."

"Yeah, everything is okay with us sir," replied Rebecca. "However, I don't think everything is okay for our new visitor, Ashla, and Ahsoka herself. She just told me about her arrival about an hour ago, and when she went away, I admit I eavesdropped on them. They spoke in their native language most of the time, but for a little while Ahsoka switched to English, or as she calls it, Basic."

When Rebecca paused, the President probed, "And what did she say?"

"That they would be safe here, and that they would be safe from a massacre of some sorts, as she put it, it is a holocaust of some sorts. Sir, I think that is what she has been hiding. I know that I am only jumping to a conclusion from a small portion of a conversation I heard, but it makes sense. Maybe the Togruta are getting killed, like the Jews were in World War II." Rebecca paused, and then said, "It would answer many of the questions we have about her behavior, although it would go against what she herself said sometimes."

President Danho sighed. "We both know that nobody is above lying, doctor. Although I am inclined to believe that if Ahsoka is lying to us, she is doing it for the right reasons, and possibly trying to preserve her life. However, we shouldn't jump to conclusions," the sternly warned. Then he changed the topic slightly, and was back to his more gentler self. "Now, I am aware that Ahsoka, and apparently now this Ashla, will be attending the school this fall, and that Ruth will be attending the same school as well. Am I incorrect in this?"

"No, you are correct Mr. President," said Rebecca. "The school they will be attending contains classrooms for both middle and junior high school students, although they are pretty much separate for the entire time. The two groups are only together during recess, camping trips, or lunch. Ahsoka will be attending the junior high of course, and Ruth will be attending middle school. I have yet to even speak with Ashla, as I have only known about her for about an hour, but my guess is that she will be attending the same classes as Ruth will be attending."

"That's good news then. You see, we need Ahsoka, and Ahsla now, to get to know all of the people they will be interacting with. My advisors have suggested that we send them off to a camp shortly before they start school in a few weeks, just so that they can get to know each other better. Hopefully it will also help us find out who will be able to be around them, and who will not be," President Danho explained. "I highly suggest you do this."

"I agree," said Rebecca. "I'll do what I can in my end to get them to go."

"It's settled then. Meanwhile, I'll speak to the commission about Ashla."

* * *

Ahsoka had just finished telling Ashla her story of how she had came here, and she had also finished giving her instructions on how she should behave around certain people. She did not exclude the situation with Ruth, telling her how she had a disdain for Togruta.

"Is there anything else you need to know Ashla?"

"No, I think I understand, but I'm very afraid," said Ahsla.

"It okay," comforted Ahsoka. "I was afraid at first too, and I still am. But we have to push through, or we are never going to get anywhere."

Ahsla nodded her head in agreement. "I'll try," she said nervously.

"Do or do not; there is no try," joked Ahsoka, failing at her attempt to copy Master Yoda's voice. Then she sobered and said, "I know you don't want too do this Ashla, but we have to speak with Rebecca, and we have to do it before Ruth wakes up. It's 5:30, so we have only an hour, so we better hurry. If we don't, we'll, I don't know what Ruth would say. I'd rather not find out."

"I'm not exactly in my game these days, but at least I know a little," Ahsoka said. "Follow me," and she held out her hand. Ashla took the offered hand, and grasped it tightly as they walked out of Ahsoka's bedroom, and into the living room where they sensed Rebecca was.

* * *

**Author's Note**

A cliff-hanger! Gosh, aren't I so mean?

I apologize for the long wait, but there was nothing I could really do. I was at a conference for a week, so I was quite busy, so of course this did not take a very high priority during that time. I think you can understand that.

Now, this was a very risky chapter for me, in particular that scene where Ashoka is dreaming, basically being shown what happened to Ashla moments before she arrived. It was very, very dark, and was quite depressing. Why did I do that? Because guys, it's the period known as The Dark Times. You may find it hard to believe, but I actually took the violence down a few notches from what it really is in the comics. I felt that, to introduce Ashla properly, I'd have to refect the time period accurately. If I get a lot of complaints about it, which I hope I don't, I'll consider editing it.

Many of you are probably wondering: who are the main characters now? Ahsoka is and will remain the primary character. Do not fear, this is about Ahsoka, not Ashla. Putting Ashla in this story is just used to solve the issue where Togruta will start going into a depression if they are not in a large group or have not been in contact with one in their own species for a long period of time. Her arrival will also help wrap up the problems Ruth is having with Ahsoka at a later date. Stay tuned for more on that!


	16. Careful Enough?

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

* * *

Chapter 16: Careful Enough?  
August 17, 2013 - 18.6 BBY

* * *

_Six Months Ago_  
_Location: Level 1312 - Imperial Center_

Petro was not in the greatest of situations at the moment. He had a squad from the infamous 501st on his back, and he was carrying highly-classified Imperial intelligence data regarding the supposed survival statistics of all other known force sensitives throughout the galaxy, and he has stolen it. If that wasn't enough, he was a Jedi youngling, and his mere existence was illegal and punishable by death.

Sensing that there wasn't much time, Petro made his way to an abandoned holobooth and entered in a few codes. As he waited for the booth to process his request, he inserted the stolen data into the transmitter.

A light flashed, indicating that it was ready for him to record his message. Looking around to make sure nobody was there to witness him, he began. "Master Oppo Rancisis, I'm sending you and all other Jedi the complete list of known force-sensitive survivors, in order to aid you in your group of survivors. This list includes everyone, including former Jedi and former Sith, such as Asajj Ventress and Ahsoka Tano. I suggest keeping this data updated, a know when it may come in handy. Maybe someday, after the Republic is rebuilt, we can start over."

Just then, blasted bolts flew threw the air. Acting quickly, Petro finished the transmission and then destroyed the data and holobooth. With a battle-cry he yelled, "For the Republic!" His situation was hopeless, however, but he would go down fighting. Stormtroopers quickly surrounded him, and just seconds later, he drew his last breath. He was one with the force.

* * *

In in one's lifetime, they may witness a single miracle. A single anomaly that changes their life forever. However, in the case of Rebecca Birchwood, a dozen oddities had happened to her in the past few months that the people of Earth never thought would happen, and that in of itself was quite interesting. What those things were had perked up the interests of her and others, and in the past few hours that interest had increased dramatically.

"Hi girls," said Rebecca warmly, when she saw Ahsoka and Ashla enter the room. She was sitting in one of the couches, drinking her coffee, and reading a book. Looking at the younger alien, she closed her book and said gently, "You must be Ashla, right?"

"Yes ma'am, I am," said Ashla shyly, and then she hid behind Ahsoka, but the older Togruta gave her a little push forward, and indicated that they should sit down on the ground, which they did. Deciding to answer a few of the possible questions at once she said, "I'm Ashla Ta, and I am - was - padawan to Master Ti." And that, answered virtually none of Rebecca's questions, but Ashla had no way of knowing what she would ask.

Recalling her suspicions, Rebecca hesitated and then asked both of them, "Just why are you being sent here to Earth? I mean you are welcome to stay here and all, it just doesn't make sense for another one of you to arrive. Ahsoka was confusing as it was."

Both Togruta looked agitated, and Ahsoka sent Ashla a warning look. She had no idea why she had been sent to Earth at first, but know with Ashla's knowledge of the clones turning, and her own vision, she had began to wonder if the Jedi Order's apparent extermination had anything to do with it. However, it didn't add up, and she wouldn't make any assumptions. Nor did she want anyone's pity and Earth's government getting involved, she had seen her own government fail to many times to trust many politicians, so she simply said, "We don't know."

What Ahsoka said was true; they had no solid answer. However, Rebecca didn't fail to miss the looks on both of their faces, even though it had only been a brief sign. "Ok, not a problem," said Rebecca, ignoring her suspicions. "It isn't expected for you to know anyway. Ashla, you will have to sleep in Ahsoka's room. I'm sorry, but we don't have another room, although I wish we did. Well, at least you will not be alone at night."

Then Rebecca turned her attention to Ahsoka. "I have been told by President Danho that you and Ashla will be attending a summer camp soon, with all the girls who will be in your classes. He thinks that is would be smart if you got to know some of your classmates beforehand, and I agree with him. Are you both up for it?"

Ahsoka and Ashla looked at each other again, and then nodded. There was little reason for them not to. Rebecca was a bout to speak, when Ahsoka interrupted with a question. "Will Ashla have to be questioned like I had to be? I refuse for her to have to go through that. Also, if you don't mind, I would like for you to make sure that Ashla can go wherever I go. I don't want her to be alone."

Ahsoka had realized how much being away from her own species had been troubling her, and she knew that Ashla wouldn't do as well as she did in this area. It seemed as though that was the case for a lot of things.

This request struck Rebecca as something abnormal, yet she agreed. "Yes, of course I can do that. Now before you two leave, I have to ask something," said Rebecca with mirth in her eyes. "Why are you wearing Ruth's cloths Ashla? And what's that on the belt?"

Ashla's lekku flushed with embarrassment and frustration. "I, um... Well, you see... My robes had been, err, shredded, so Ahsoka thought it was best for me that I wear something more... appropriate." Ashla felt very embarrassed, and she was frightened about what would happen when she discovered what the cylinder on her belt was, so she avoided the question. Ahsoka had told her that there was nothing to fear from Rebecca, but she was still cautious.

To Ashla's surprise, but not Ahsoka's, Rebecca laughed. "It's alright Ashla, I understand. I'll go and get clothing for you today... Actually, now that I think about it, you should probably get something to replace that uniform of yours as well, Ahsoka. If you're going to school, you should at least wear clothing that looks more like ours."

Ahsoka opened her mouth to protest, but them clamped it shut. She hated to admit it, but Rebecca was right. Her uniform was still in excellent condition, she had just donned on a new one before she had gone to the Jedi Council and left, but it would be a good idea to fit in, she wasn't going to change just so people would like her more, but this would be a prudent thing to do.

"So, what's that on the belt Ashla? I've never seen anything that resembles that, so I assume it's yours," said Rebecca. Ashla didn't know what exactly to say. She had avoided answering the question earlier, hoping that she would forget about it and move on. Now she was stuck between an asteroid and a hard place.

Ashla spoke to Ahsoka in Togruti, so Rebecca wouldn't understand. /Can I show her what it is? I don't think I can keep it hidden, and using a mind trick on her won't be right, I think./ in response to this, Ahsoka nodded, giving her permission to show the weapon.

Taking the lightsaber in her hands, Ashla stood up, and activated the weapon and its blue blade. "This is a lightsaber," said Ashla. As she said this, she levitated the blade with the force, to give Rebecca a better look at it. "This is the weapon of a Jedi, and it is the symbol of our lives. It is powered by a crystal which we find as younglings, and it emits a powerful plasma blade that can cut through nearly anything."

Ashla then deactivated the lightsaber, and reattached it to her belt with a simple gesture and use of the force. Ahsoka then stood to leave, but she remained where she was for but a moment to ask Rebecca something that she had been worried about. "Will you confiscate her lightsaber and mine, whenever I rebuild them?"

Rebecca thought about it for a moment. "No," she said slowly, "But I believe that you will not be allowed to bring them with you to school. We've had some... incidents that would make it impossible for you to bring a weapon into a school, especially foreign laser swords such as yours."

Ahsoka understood Rebecca, and she was content if this ended up being the policy they would have to follow.

Just then, they heard Ruth starting to wake up. Rebecca stood up as well, and said to them, "Why don't you go over to your room, okay? I'll speak with Ruth for you." Grateful for how well everything had gone so far, Ahsoka and Ashla went and did what they had been recommended. They didn't want to push their luck.

Rebecca watched them go, and she started walking towards Ruth's room. As she walked, she thought about the weapon that Ashla had. It was very elegant, and it surprised her to say it, but it was beautiful. That was something to be said for a weapon. Yet, there was do doubt in her mind that it was also very deadly.

Opening Ruth's door a crack so she could speak without possibly walking into a potentially embarrassing situation, Rebecca spoke through the slight opening and asked, "Ruth, do you have a moment?"

"Yeah," replied Ruth. "One sec; I'll be right over." Of course it took longer than just a second, but she was at the door promptly. "What is it Mom?"

Rebecca tried to relax. Against all the facts of the matter, just maybe this conversation would go over well. "Ruth, an interesting thing happened last night. Another Togruta came, and her name is Ashla. She is actually your age; thirteen years-old. I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but can you try to be kind with her? Because I'm sorry to say, but you have been anything but kind to Ahsoka."

Ruth's eyes bulged and her mouth was agape in surprise. This was one of the very last things she would have expected to hear when she woke up, and she was certainly not thrilled. "Again? B-but that doesn't make any sense," she sputtered. "She wasn't supposed to lead anyone else here!"

"Ahsoka did not lead anyone to us," interjected Rebecca. "It was purely consequential that Ashla arrived."

"Yeah, whatever," said Ruth, and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me young lady," snapped Rebecca. "It isn't her fault at all, and afterall, we are learning that her race could be running away because they are being massacred! Look at it from her point of view. She is in a strange world, where almost nobody else trusts her, and she has been away from her own species for months! Could you at least give this Ashla a chance?"

Ignoring her mother's question, Ruth raised her eyebrows and probed, "'Massacred'? What do you mean?"

Rebecca truly did not want to discuss this with Ruth, but if it helped it might be worth it. She sighed and said, "I overheard Ahsoka speaking with Ashla, and while I didn't understand most of it, when she was speaking in English she said that 'they would be safe here.' I then listened a little longer, and she mentioned a holocaust and a massacre. I spoke with the President about and, while it would present some other questions, we have reason to believe that this is what she has been hiding from us."

"Oh," said Ruth simply. She was at a loss for words; there was nothing she could argue.

"Now Ruth," pleaded Rebecca, "Please try to be kinder to them. I can't believe it, but Ahsoka came to me personally and asked if I could tell you to treat Ashla better, because she didn't think Ashla could handle it. I've noticed your attitude towards her Ruth, and I don't want you to be known as someone unkind. The Ruth I know wouldn't be mean to people, without getting to know them first."

"I'll try," said Ruth reluctantly. Maybe she would give Ashla a chance. She was her own age, so it seemed like that just maybe she wouldn't be such a threat. But she had no intention of changing her treatment of Ahsoka, no matter what anyone said.

However, Ruth was not as sure as herself as she had been before.

* * *

As Ruth began eating her breakfast cereal, she thought about what school would be like this year. There were only two weeks until the first day, and couldn't say that she was looking forward to it. This year she would be in the eighth grade, and she wasn't sure if she liked that. Other students like it because they were no longer the littlest, but Ruth didn't like how she was, well, in puberty along with the rest of her classmates. She had heard, smelled, and seen proof that it was the most humiliating grade group in school.

Ashla and Ahsoka would also make it different than it had been in the past too. Every year, the attention was on the school itself, friends, and events, this year Ruth was almost certain that the two girls would be the center of attention, in good and bad ways. She was happy that it would put less attention on her... somewhat. The inevitable what-is-it-like questions would be asked of her.

As she took a sip of her orange juice, Ruth saw someone near the entryway out of the corner of eye. She was going to ask who it was, when someone who looked very much like Ahsoka, just younger, appeared. It was Ashla! Ruth's eyes widened as she took in this new girl. Her skin color was much darker, almost a dark red, and her head-tails were much shorter.

One particular thing about Ashla stood out to Ruth hough. Unlike Ahsoka, this girl seemed afraid. This actually comforted her. When Ahsoka had arrived, she had made it very clear to everyone that she was the boss of her own life, even though she had been timid. Ruth had naturally felt threatened by this, but thoughts of Ashla being a threat did not even go across her mind.

In the awkward science that followed, Ruth got down from her seat and walked over to Ashla. They looked at each other for a few seconds, and then Ruth offered out her hand. "My name's Ruth. It's nice to meet you Ashla."

Ashla was puzzled. Because of Ahsoka's warnings, she had expected that Ruth would insult her first, and then, if she was lucky, greet her. This was different than that. She gave her a curious look, but then shook Ruth's hand. "Hi," she said nervously.

Both girls stood uncomfortably, staring at their feet. Ashla was the first to break the stillness. "Well, um, I guess I better get something to eat..."

Ruth shook herself. "Oh yeah, right. We have some cereal..." In saying this, she poured a bowl of Cheerios and honey and offered it to Ashla.

Ashla looked amused and politely said, "No thanks. I'll find something else to eat." Ruth was bewildered. "Why did she do that? You'd think she'd accept it even if she didn't like it, as a way to make friends of something." It was only when the Togruta pulled some cold meat of the fridge and started eating it with her bare hands and sharp canine teeth did she finally catch on.

Ruth was mortified. She should have known better than to offer something other than meat to her! She had been living with Ahsoka for many months now; she knew what a Togruta's diet was. As she cleaned up after herself, she made a mental note to pay attention to what they did differently than humans. The insights she would have could come in handy someday, likely it would come in handy generally at events in school. Besides, what did she have to lose?

* * *

Rebecca had been scrutinizing Ruth's behavior in respect to Ashla very closely. She had not expected the handshake, nor did she fail to notice the considerate offer of the cereal. While the food hadn't been very helpful, it warmed her heart to see her daughter being the kind girl that she used to be, before Ahsoka had arrived.

Slipping away before Ruth would notice her, Rebecca eased to the office. Turning on her computer, she typed up a quick email to Daniel about Ashla. After all, she didn't want her husband to come home, only to find that he had a yet another person he was financially responsible for. Rebecca didn't want to deal with the initial shock factor; he might as well have some time to think about anyways.

She was about to leave, when she received a public email from the school district. She opened it, and she was pleased to discover that the school board had decided to an orientation meeting on the phone for the parents and guardians of the students. She knew it would mainly be discussing and answering questions related to Ahsoka and Ashla, and she was quite happy about this. At least this way most of the students wouldn't be in a state of total shock come Monday, when the camping trip began.

Glancing at the time, Rebecca was surprised to find that the phone meeting was just in an hour, at 10:30 AM. Apparently the email she had received was just a reminder email for an earlier email that must have been sent out to her and didn't get. Relieved that she hadn't scheduled anything previously for this slot of time, she waited, reading the latest news as she did so. As Rebecca waited, she thought about what she would say to all of the parents. It was going to be difficult.

* * *

A few hours later, Rebecca hung up the phone. All the parents had taken it better than she had expected, and she was delighted that all of them had agree to speak with their children and encourage them to treat the Togruta girls nicely.

The school board had also asked Maddie if she would be willing to be one of the nurses at the camp, just in case Ahsoka or Ashla became injured or sick. She had been the only one except for Rebecca that had taken care of Ahsoka when she had first arrived, so they would need her experience. Both girls could take care of themselves without issue, but it never hurt to be careful.

The camp would last for five days, and would be a girls-only camp. School would start the following week, so it was going to be a perfect time for Ruth, Ahsoka, and Ashla get meet people and warm up to each other, before they had the additional stress of school work.

Ahsoka and Ashla knew very little of the written English language, and that was going to present a problem. Ahsoka at least knew the alphabet, and she had promised Rebecca that she would teach Ashla what she learn, to make it easier for her. Getting around the school wouldn't be difficult for her, it was just going to be the written instructions and textbooks that would cause her to struggle.

Rebecca had faith in Ahsoka though. If anyone could get used to a new written language in a few days, it would be Ahsoka. However, her habit of not forming close relationships with anyone would present even more issues at school. This camp would hopefully begin the process of resolving that.

Now it was up to the other teenagers and kids how Ahsoka and Ashla would be treated.

* * *

**AhsokaNerd's Corner**  
.5851: How will Rebecca and Ruth react to Ashla's lightsaber? Well in this chapter we got our answer for Rebecca. Honestly, almost nothing can surprise her anymore. Ruth's reactions come later :) Great question, and thanks for reading!

Bearybeary: You'll have to wait and see how other kids react to Ahsoka ;) But I assure you, it won't be all fun and games.

Crazy: Ruth's snotty behavior will change, I promise. In this chapter she took a big step in the right direction with Ashla (which was the reason I introduced her character in the first place), and we will see her warm up to Ahsoka soon. Her resentment will be over by chapter 20.

And everyone keeps asking me, "Dude, when are you gonna update?" Well hopefully I'll be updating more frequently soon, but I cannot make any promises. Don't worry though, unlike many authors, I will NOT leave this story unfinished. The chapters are getting longer too, so I hope you like that ;)

One more thing. I rarely ask this, but PLEASE review this story. I want this story to get more readers, and you can help by reviewing. The more readers and reviews, the more updates. Thank you so much, and as always, may the force be with you!


	17. Civil Rights

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

* * *

Chapter 17: Civil Rights

August 19, 2013 - 18.5 BBY - Sixth Month of the Great Jedi Purge

* * *

After a few hours of preparation the previous day, all three girls were ready for camp. Peter had accepted Ashla even more easily than he had with Ahsoka, which was saying a lot, and both girls enjoyed his constant chatter about what kind of fun he was having immensely.

Rebecca had bought Ashla some loose dark-blue jeans, and long-sleeved tan shirts to wear. She had had the hardest time getting anything that the girl liked, and she clearly wasn't happy with her outfit in the end. Like most younglings, she was restricted to the traditional Jedi robes, and for a girl that meant wearing a simple dress underneath it as well. However, Rebecca insisted that she wear clothes that made her fit in more, and Ahsoka had backed her up in this decision.

Ahsoka herself was a completely different story. Not only did she not like any of her options, she refused to part with her uniform. She said it was "special," and that she wanted to continue wearing it. Nothing that Rebecca said would get her to change the Togruta's mind, so finally she gave up.

Rebecca had spoken with Maddie and the rest of the camp staff, and had decided that they would be bringing Ruth and the two alien girls to camp separately, so they could speak to the children and the camp staffers about the situation. It wasn't going to be a speech with just a bunch of rules like they would do in other cases. Instead, they were going to try to encourage the girls to be kind to each other.

Rebecca was getting quite sick of all these warnings that she had been giving, but it was necessary. If she didn't do it, the consequences could be more painful than the warnings would have been. Ah, the joys of life.

* * *

Ruth was beginning to really like Ashla, and Ahsoka could sense her beginning to change back into hrs normal self, or at least what she had been told was her normal. The Ruth that Rebecca had described many months ago in the car ride to her new home was very unlike the Ruth she had met.

Not once had Ruth been kind to Ahsoka. Not once. She had never said her name, asked her a kind questions, or even greeted her when they saw each other in the morning. She had made herself become cold and heartless, due to her fear.

Master Yoda had been right. Fear led to anger; anger led to hate; and hate did indeed lead to suffering. In this case, that fear of Ruth's had led to Ahsoka's suffering from lack of friendship. Peter had been kind to her, and she was proud to be able to call him her friend. The age gap was significant, but they did not notice. His companionship had led to Ahsoka being able to cope with everyone else.

For weeks the wheels of Ruth's behavior had been turning, ever so slowly. First she had stopped the outright verbal mocking and hatred directly to Ahsoka's face, and then she had cooled. Now she was showing that she indeed had a heart. It just took time for it to show itself, longer than anyone would have liked.

If Ruth thought about it, there were very few differences between the appearance of Ashla and Ahsoka. After all, they were from the same race. Ahsla had a red face with white markings around the areas of her eyes, and that was about the extent of the differences. Clearly there were other differences such as her face, size and age. However, there was nothing major that separated them. One day, Ruth would come to realize that. It was just a matter of when.

* * *

The aliens were coming. That was all Macy could think about, ever since her father and noticeably fearful mother had spoken to her that morning about the camp she was going to, and how there were going to be two alien girls there.

To Macy's surprise, thy had been staying with the Birchwood family. Ruth was her best friend, and they had grown close to each other after going several years to the same school. To her standards, she had been having a very boring summer, because for some then-unknown reason, Ruth hadn't been visiting very often. Now everything made since.

The initial news about the aliens had been startling, and scary at first. Life had to continue as always though, and so after a time Macy and her family had moved on too. Now it was going to be a part of her life, even if she didn't like it. Fortunately, she actually really liked this.

Both Ruth and Macy had always been the science and computer nerds at school. They weren't popular, but unlike most schools, they weren't looked down on. If there was such a thing as a popularity index, the two friends would be right smack in the middle. If Ruth had been living with the two Togruta as she had heard, she would quickly become one of the more interesting kids to talk with. Not that Macy thought she hadn't been interesting before, but now the other kids would think differently about her.

Wandering aimlessly around the campgrounds, Macy waited for her friend to arrive, and kept thinking. It was amazing how productive doing nothing could be. She had just needed to get her thoughts together, and the fresh air had been helping her. She was really looking forward to this week. It was going to be great to meet new friends before school started.

Getting to know people at school was always more difficult, and ever since she came for the camp three years ago, fourteen year-old Macy had made it a priority to go. So far, it had paid off, and it was likely that this year wasn't going to be that much different. Besides for the fact that two of the people were not human or from Earth, of course.

Many more campers had to arrive before the camp was to officially begin that afternoon, and Macy wanted to wait for her friends to arrive. Sitting down on a stump, she waited.

It didn't take long for people to come. It was nearly twelve o'clock though, and Macy was about to give up waiting and go to the dining hall with everyone else when she saw a white SUV pull up, and Ruth hop out of the car. Rebecca got out to say goodbye to her daughter and get everything out of the car, and then she left.

After Rebecca had gone, Macy called out, "Hey Ruth! How have you been?"

Setting down her backpack, Ruth ran over, and hugged Macy. "I'm so happy to see you Macy! It has been a long time."

Macy smirked. "Yeah, it has been. So..?"

Ruth was confused. "What is it? I'm sorry we haven't had more time together, it just I've been busy with the... Oh yeah, that thing. Are you wondering what I think you are wondering?"

"Duh," said Macy, laughing. "Come on Ruth, you have a freakin' alien at your house! That is so AWESOME! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I, uh, had been told not to," said Ruth. It was true, but she knew it was a weak excuse. She always told Macy everything, even if she had been told not to tell anyone. She trusted her because whenever she had told her a secret before, Macy had not spilled the beans. She was a really good friend in that way.

Macy saw through that excuse. "Well okay, we can talk about it later. So how have things been going between you and the eldest alien?"

"To be honest, not very well," admitted Ruth, picking up her things and beginning to walk to the check-in desk in the main building. "I just don't trust her yet. I mean, as you said, she is an alien! She is what, sixteen or seventeen? She likely has her loyalties with whoever she grew up with. And, check this out; I overheard Mom talking to someone on the phone, and she said that she thinks Ahsoka is hiding something!"

Macy raised her eyebrows and said indifferently, "Honestly, what makes you care?"

That caught Ruth off guard, because when she thought about it, why did she care anyway? It wasn't her responsibility at all, and here she was worrying about it. "Um... I don't really know..."

"Well that's alright, we can talk more about that later," said Macy, as they walked up to the front desk in the main hall. The desk was made of wood that looked as if they were polished tree branches that had all the bark pulled off them. Most of the architecture and furniture was done in this style, and it matched the surroundings of the camp very well, which were woods and a large lake.

Looking up at the two friends, a smiling young woman at the desk asked, "Hi, are you to check in?"

Ruth and Macy nodded. "Yeah, we are," replied Ruth.

"Okay, that's great," said the woman. "I think the two of you are the last we needed to get started. And you two are?"

"I'm Macy, and this," said Macy, gesturing to Ruth, "Is Ruth Birchwood. She's the one who is living with the alien."

"Alright, great. You're all checked in girls, and your cabin is cabin number five. It's the closest cabin on the left-wing section of the campgrounds," explained the woman.

"Thank you," said Ruth. "Uh, what is your name?"

"Jodi," she said. Then she grinned. "Sorry, I pretty much always forget to tell people that. Oh, and Ruth, be sure to talk to the others girls and tell them what living with the aliens is like before they get here. I'm sure they'd love to hear about it; I know I would!"

"Alright, I will," said Ruth. "Thanks Jodi!"

As they were walking towards the benches facing the fireplace the everyone else was sitting at, Ruth whispered to Macy, "Don't mention that I live with Ahsoka and Ashla; I don't want the extra attention! You wouldn't want it either if you were in my shoes."

"Fine," Macy whispered back, "But you know as well as I do that it's going to come out in just a few minutes when the camp director speaks."

Ruth hated to admit it, but Macy was right. Hopefully her week wouldn't become a giant questions-and-answers festival though. That would seriously annoy her.

Looking around, Ruth recognized one of her friends from school, and called her over. "Kristina! Over here!" Kristina had moved to Morris last year, and she and Ruth had met and become friends.

Kristina soon came over and smirked as she walked over. She was a short girl, and not particularly fit. She wasn't overweight or skinny. As she liked to say, she still had her "baby face." Which was quite true; she looked much younger than she was. "Hi Ruth! It's been awhile," she said, echoing what Macy had said earlier.

Ruth smiled back sheepishly. She had no confidence in herself when it came to discussing the alien girls, so she didn't say anything about it at all. "Yeah, I'm sorry Krista. I've been a little preoccupied with things at home, that's all." Macy gave her a look, practically begging her to let her speak, but Ruth discretely shook her head.

"Excuse me kids," said an older man, whom all the girls immediately recalled was the husband of their camp director, Wolf Linkinghoff. He was also the director of the boys camp that they did before the girl's camp. As everyone moved out of his way, they were a little surprised about what he was carrying. In his arms was a large tripod, and a massive digital 3D camera that was about a foot in length.

One of the girls in the group asked what everyone of them was thinking. "Why is that thing here?"

Wolf grunted as he hoisted the camera onto the stand. "You'll see," he said, brushing off the question. Calling over to his wife who was talking to one of the campers, he asked, "Are you ready honey?"

"Yeah; ready as always," she said, and then she grabbed a small handheld microphone, and walked over to the hearth at the front of the room. Elena was about forty years old, and by far the oldest person on the camp grounds, besides for her husband. She was clearly an athletic lady, and appeared to be quite excited. Clearing her throat she said, "Good afternoon girls! Are you ready to have some fun this week?"

The room erupted into cheers, and it took a few seconds for them to quiet down, and let Elana to continue. "Well I'm glad to hear that," she said. "For those of you who have never been here before, let me introduce myself. My name is Elena Linkinghoff, and as your camp director I'll explain to you how everything has been setup for you right now, and briefly every morning before breakfast."

"Today we have put signup sheets for everyone outside on the picnic tables, for the different events that require us to prepare beforehand. This includes the workshop, boat races, and other contests," explained Elena. "Most activities are about an hour to two hours each segment, but you can keep going as long as you want. In the morning we have a group activity, and of course at night we'll have a campfire, where we make s'mores, sing songs, and tell stories. Sound like fun?"

Everyone nodded, smiling ear to ear. However, those who had been to the camp noticed that she had shortened her talk on the events considerably. Thankfully, it would not take long for them to learn why. Elena seemed to get giddy with excitement, and then she asked, "Do any of you know what important thing happened almost fifty years ago in the United States School System?"

Nobody did, so Elena continued. "On the 11th of June 1963, the University of Alabama was integrated successfully for the first time, despite attempts by then-governor George Wallace to prevent it from happening. It was a huge victory for the Civil Rights movement and for the American people. We owe two teenaged students, Vivian Jones and James Hood, for being willing to risk their reputation and lives, and make this important step."

Some of the girls began whispering among themselves, because they had all heard about Ahsoka and Ashla from their parents, and now the camp director was making what could almost be called a speech about it!

"Girls, the two alien teenagers, Ahsoka and Ashla, and making a similar step today," said Elena. "They are doing their part, but are you willing to do the same? When they arrive in a few hours, I want you to treat them as you would want to be treated. Don't worry about their outward appearance; what matters is who they truly are. They're girls, just like you."

The message hit home, and Ruth felt more guilty than ever. She had to change; the question was how.

* * *

A few hours later, all the girls were looking at the signup sheets or playing a game of ultimate frisbee, except for Ruth and Macy. They had other things to do, such as talking about the aliens or about school.

"So, if I understand you correctly," asked Ruth, "Ahsoka fought a bunch of alien lizard hunting things, and killed every single one of them?"

Ruth grimaced. "Yeah, it's really disgusting. It sounded like she didn't even have to kill them all too."

Macy understood where her friend was coming from, but the idea that Ahsoka didn't have to kill them was stupid. then she began ridiculing her, "Well, if you and your friends happened to get kidnapped and get hunted down and killed for sport, what would you do when you had the opportunity to have revenge? Sit back and say, 'Hey guys, I know that you were trying to kill me and all my friends, but I just want to let you know that I'll be letting you go'?"

"That not what I meant," protested Ruth. "She had good reasons for it, but-"

"Ha! That my point," said Macy, cutting Ruth off. "She has good reasons. For everything. Now I'm just going off of what you are telling me, but you just said it yourself that she has good reasons for everything. Do you realize that you are being discriminate to her because of how she looks?" Then she said more gently, "I'm not mad at your Ruth, but I'm just being a good friend by pointing out that your parents are right. Don't worry about it, unless there is something that you actually should worry out. Besides, if the President of the United States of all people trusts her, you should too."

Ashamed, Ruth looked down at her feet again. "You know Macy, I think you're right. But what am I going to do? Every time I look at her, I feel scared to death. She's so frightening, because of what she can do. I mean, I think she could kill someone with just a thought."

"Well if you keep making it known that you don't like her, that's one way to get yourself killed by her," said Macy. "If you're on her good side, your chances of surviving go way up, even though your chances of getting killed by her seem low."

"Oh yeah," said Ruth lamely. How could she be such a bonehead? Making Ahsoka dislike her was not win any favors. _"You know what? I'm going to apologize to her this week," _she thought. _"No matter what anybody else thinks."_

* * *

"This morning I bought a copy of the National Geographic, as I suspect every single one of you in this room has done," said President David Danho. For this historic vote, he had called for a special join-session of congress, and he was addressing them, trying to win their support for the bill that would change history in a greater way than many realized. The granting of rights to extraterrestrials.

"As I read, I was fascinated by what I saw. Nothing on this Earth is so complex, yet as human, as these aliens. They aren't just strange creatures; they're living beings, and are like us in so many ways," continued the President, who was clearly speaking passionately and with wisdom, and not ignorance. "Yet, I believe I was surprised as you were this lovely morning, when I read that Togruta are weaker than us, dispute their strengths."

"What we have learned in the past six months has remained consistent, and Ahsoka and now Ashla have served the best interests of the American people for months, without question," said President Danho. "They have done us a great favor, and it is our moral duty that we treat them honorably. Ladies and gentlemen, it is clear to is that they are at out mercy. They have no rights, no place they can truly call home, and they have lost everything. Tonight, no matter what you do, you will be setting an example to your children and grandchildren to follow. Tonight, show generations yet to come and the entire world what America is; that we truly are the land of the free, and that our dream will not perish in the face of the unknown. God bless, and have a good night."

Loud applause and cheers erupted through the legislative building, and tears were in the president's eyes as he sat down on his chair to preside over the resulting proceedings. Exactly seven years ago his teenage daughter Kitty had died in a car crash, going to a meeting at her school that she had called to help prevent bullying. His daughter had always had a heart for those who were treated unfairly, and her short life had been dedicated to helping those who needed it most; children, just like herself. Indeed, her death itself had been a wakeup call to the drunk driver that had killed her, and now he was the head of an organization that reached out to teenagers in cities who needed help emotionally or physically.

_"My little Kitty, how I wish you could be here to share my joy in helping girls just like you, who are from another world. I can only imagine what you'd think, but I know you'd be happy too," reflected David._

* * *

**AhsokaNerd's Corner**

Yes, we finally got a reason to why President Danho is so nice! I thought that this would be a good background story for him, even though it is super brief and not actually part of the story.

Many people are confused about Ashla, so I'm going to make this extremely clear: she is NOT OC! She is, in fact, one of the only three Togruta Jedi in Star Wars canon, and one of the only two that appears in the movies. She appears in Attack of the Clones, in the Yoda and the Younglings scene. Back row, on the left. Yep, that's Ashla.

I also loved putting Ruth in her place. She has been such an annoying freak, and now that she is cornered, she is seeing that other people are right. Sometimes I guess in real life it takes others, and not are parents, to make us realize that our parents really do have our best interests in mind. I tried to show that this is the same thing with Ruth here. While she will still have her moments, the story of Ruth's hatred and fear is pretty much over!

Finally, I want to say that I'm sorry for the slow speed in my updates. I promise that I'll try to do better, but real life will always take priority.


	18. Appearance Matters Not

/When you see text like this, that means it is in Togruti, native language of the Togruta, the species of which Ahsoka Tano belongs to./

* * *

Chapter 18: Appearance Matters Not

August 19, 2013 - 18.5 BBY - Sixth Month of the Great Jedi Purge - Eight Months From Arrival

* * *

"So are you sure that you want me to hold into this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," said Ashla. "Besides you lost your lightsaber once." Smirking, she stuck out her tongue at her friend. She had been one of the few younglings that listened to Ahsoka tell her story of losing her lightsaber and getting it back, when she had lost it three years ago.

"You're welcome," said Ahsoka sarcastically. She took the offered lightsaber out of Ashla's outstretched right hand, and attached it to the left side of her uniform's belt. "Now that we have everything packed -"

"Wait, I just thought of something," said Ashla. "Remember that meat ration stick thing that Mrs. Birchwood gave us?"

"Yes, it's called beef jerky, and she also told you not to address her formally," reproved Ahsoka. "But yes, do you think we should pack some?"

Ashla had been trying the Birchwood family's different meats over the past few days, just like Ahsoka had done. Her favorite thing was the jerky; they were shaped like the military ration sticks that she had been given as standard issue from the Grand Army of the Republic, but the flavor was much superior. That being said, a lot of things could beat white sticks of carbohydrates that were just customized to each species to be edible.

Watching Ashla lick her lips as she was thinking, Ahsoka joked, "I'll take the licking of the lips as a yes." Ashla's lekku darkened with embarrassment. As a Jedi, she had been told not to care about physical things, and that included food. She was supposed to be grateful for whatever she received, and imaging the flavor of a food and obsessing over it was certainly not in that criteria.

Curious, Ashla asked, "Do you still follow the code? I mean, now that you aren't a Jedi, you don't have to follow it, but do you do it anyway?"

"No, I don't," said Ahsoka bluntly. "They are guidelines, and not rules to me."

The look on Ahsoka's face made it clear to Ashla that she didn't want to talk about it. She wasn't' sure what she should quite say, if anything at all. "Oh," she said quietly.

After they finished cleaning up the room, Ashla left the room to find Rebecca, and Ahsoka brought everything out to the car. When she came back inside, Ashla was happily munching away on some chicken jerky, talking with Rebecca.

Ahsoka was barely listening as she ate, but then she heard Ashla say, "...so then some of my friends back at the temple decided to see if the stories about Mace Windu's humor was true-"

Immediately, Ahsoka cut her off gently, barely restraining herself from getting angry. "Do not even think about him when you are around me. Please, just don't." Getting up, she left the room, and went to the car. It was half an hour early, but she wanted to be alone now.

"Why not- oh, that." Ashla suddenly realized what bothered Ahsoka so much. It was interesting to her to be around someone who didn't hold the Jedi in high esteem, as her entire life had been lived in an environment where the Jedi were uplifted. In a way the higher ranking they had, the more they were seen as flawless. She didn't understand her friend's point of view entirely yet, but seeing where she was coming from was not a difficult task.

"Why was she so upset?" Rebecca asked, staring out the window, and watching Ahsoka buckle herself in.

"Master Windu. He indirectly ordered Ahsoka's execution," replied Ashla. "He didn't ever say it out loud, as far as I know, but he, along with the rest of the Jedi Council, turned her over the Republic courts to be tried. The only possible outcome was execution, and in fact the courts did vote to have her killed immediately, but Master Skywalker arrived just in time with the true mastermind of the attacks."

Rebecca realized she would get more information about Ahsoka's ordeal from Ashla then she ever would from Ahsoka herself, so she asked, "Was Windu close to Ahsoka? Is that what made her so upset?"

"No," Ashla said. "I think he upsets her so much because he is supposed to be the wisest of all Jedi, second only to Master Yoda. Like most old Jedi, he also should sense when someone with force sensitivity is telling the truth or lying. He tell what was the truth with Ahsoka, and she is upset I think that without this, he still didn't think that she maybe didn't do it."

"Hmm, that makes sense," said Rebecca. "If you don't mind, I have two more questions. What exactly was she accused of doing, and what species is Windu a part of?" She wanted to know if Windu's kind was prejudice against the Togruta, and if that had anything to do with his decision.

"Don't worry, I don't mind," said Ashla. "The first one is easy, Master Windu is basically human, the dominant species in our galaxy. His skin color is brown though, so he is part of the Korun variant."

Rebecca couldn't have been more surprised. Humans lived in their galaxy? That was, according to what they knew, scientifically impossible! She had always assumed that the people Ahsoka was around the most were Togruta or part of another alien species, but not human. The so-called "good news" was that Ahsoka clearly did not resent any species as a whole due to what had happened to her.

"Around nine months ago," Ashla continued, "Tano and Skywalker were fighting the Battle of Cato Neimoidia, the first time the Separatists attacked that particular star system. It was located in Republic space, and was easily retaken by the 501st division, which was under the two's command. Anakin was the General, with Ahsoka as Commander. Some people call her rank Brigadier General, but I'm not sure what your people call it. What do you call it anyway?"

"I'm not sure," replied Rebecca, "I think we have both those ranks in our military, but I don't know for sure which one is more like the rank she was holding." While she knew little about the military, she knew enough that she was able to catch that Ahsoka had an extremely high rank.

Briefly nodding in response, Ashla went on. "Before the battle was finished, Ahsoka and her master were called back to the Jedi Temple to investigate a bombing. It hadn't been successfully bombed in over 1,000 years, and an impartial point of view was needed to investigate. Because they had not been present, they were clearly the best choice. Over forty clones and six Jedi had died in the bombing, along with nineteen civilians. Additionally, eight gunships, five starfighters, and other military hardware had been destroyed."

"To make a long story short," Ashla explained, "they ended up capturing the person who had made the bomb. Ahsoka was then framed for murdering the prisoner, thus linking the bombing plot to her, so she was arrested. She escaped Republic custody, and in fact, she was the very first person every to do so. She even escaped with Master Skywalker, Commander Fox, and Captain Rex on her tail. She went directly to the lower levels of Coruscant, 1313 and 1315. She was again framed, then time for possessing nano droid weaponry, the same ones used in the Temple bombing. She was promptly stunned by Commander Fox, after she had fought with who she believed to be Assaj Ventress, who was the former military leader of the Confederacy of Independent Systems."

Ashla sighed. "Now here comes the saddest part. Just after the Republic courts announced that she was to be terminated, Anakin came into the courtroom with the real killer, Barriss Offee. Barriss had been Ahsoka's best friend ever since they worked together during the Second Battle of Geonosis, and at the time they were both commanders. Ahsoka had been fourteen and Barriss nineteen then. So by then they had been friends for two years, and Ahsoka had thought that Barriss was helping her find information on the bombings, when in reality she was framing her. Barriss was executed a few weeks after her confession that day."

"After the trial had ended, Ahsoka was released. She went shortly afterwords to a meeting with the Council, where they supposedly apologized, yet rumor has it that they did not. I'll have to check with Ahsoka on that one," Ashla mused.

"Anyhow, they offered her the rank of Knight in the Jedi Order, which would also giver her the rank of General, and give her a division of her own. Yet, she refused and left," said Ashla sadly. "We never saw her again. I don't blame her at all for leaving, and in the end it worked out okay. Ahsoka and I are now the last two surviving Togruta that can use the force, and she isn't a Jedi. Her chances of living are now higher. I'm sure there is more to the story, but that's all I know."

"Whoa, that's terrible. I didn't know it was so bad," exclaimed Rebecca. She had so many moments recently where she had to take a lot in, and this was another one of those moments. She found that she had newfound respect for Ahsoka. She had truly holding herself together better than she would have thought, even for someone with as much training as she expected from a person with a rank so incredibly high.

Bottom line, Rebecca had been right. Ahsoka had been hiding something, and there was still more she suspected was missing from the story. Yet, she now knew that nothing about her was bad for America or the feast of Earth. It was all bad news for Ahsoka and Ashla, and that is all that concerned her now.

* * *

"Are you girls alright?"

"Yes," they both replied at the same time. Both Ahsoka and Ashla had been deep in thought during the car ride, and nether of them had said a word. While Ashla was mostly concerned for how people would treat her, Ahsoka was mainly busing herself with thinking about how she should behave around different types of people and how she should plan on protecting on her fellow species member. It was unlikely that she would need protection in a society made up exclusively of humans and non-force sensitives, but she could always be careful.

"So no speaking about our military history," Ashla stated. It was pretty obvious,so it wasn't a question. More like a verbal reminder for herself.

"That's correct, the Secretary of Defense thinks that it would be in the best interests of America to say as little as possible about the military capacity of your galaxy," Rebecca confirmed. "It's not like there is a threat, but they just want to make sure nobody else develops weapons like yours."

Ahsoka watched Ashla as Rebecca turned onto a dirt and rock road, watching her squirm with agitation. She could remember when she had first ridden in a car, and it was less than pleasant. Traveling on air was significantly more pleasant then wheels.

"Try not to show that you are nervous Ashla," Ahsoka suggested.

"Why?" Ashla asked.

Ahsoka shrugged. "You're harder to pick on. Humans, or some of them at least, have a habit of looking down on those who appear to be weak. I learned that from Anakin, when he was talking about his past, after the Battle of Kadavo."

_"Well you can't argue with that," _Rebecca thought.

Soon their car came to a stop to the side of the mail hall, and the two girls shared a glance. If though they didn't like it, they would have to go out and meet everyone now. Ruth being there already wasn't very reassuring.

After Rebecca left, Ahsoka and Ashla put on their backpacks and walked up the steps of the building. To their surprise, nobody was inside except for three female adults that appeared to be in their mid-twenties, a middle-aged woman, and an older man. Ahsoka had gone in first, and Ashla had forgotten about shutting the door. It slammed behind her, and everyone stopped what they were doing to look up.

Feeling self-conscious with the stares, Ashla gulped, and moved slowly behind Ahsoka. The older girl wasn't sure what to do, but she knew how to give a proper greeting, so she did. Moving towards the nearest person, she put out her right hand, offering to shake the woman's hand. The woman shook it, and Ahsoka smiled. "Hi, my name is Ahsoka, and this is Ashla," she said, gesturing to her friend behind her.

"It's great to finally meet you two! My name is Nicole, and I'm one of the councilors here this week," Nicole said warmly. After that, everyone was able to quickly recover from their staring, and soon the two Togruta had easily met all five people. A woman named Rose told them that they would be in the same cabin as Ruth Birchwood, as they thought that them knowing each other would help with the two other girls that were in the cabin that didn't know them.

Glancing out the windows, Ashla piped up, "Where is everyone else? I thought there would have been a crowd to, um, you know..."

"I sent them outside to play a game while they were waiting for your arrival. They should be on the main field," Elena Linkinghoff said.

"Okay, thank you ma'am," Ashla replied, and she skipped happily down the steps holding her backpack's straps, and then force-leaped down the rest of the way.

"Thanks for being kind to us," Ashoka said to the small group of camp leaders. They all smiled back in response, and then she ran after Ashla. After she caught up to her she asked, "So do you want to go to the cabin and drop off our stuff, or go to where everyone is playing the game? I don't care what we do right now, so you can decide."

"What, I couldn't make any decisions before?" Ashla asked sarcastically. She became serious again rather quickly though. "They won't welcome us as warmly, will they?"

"Duh," Ahsoka pointedly.

"Okay, can we play the game then? I'd rather start off the week by having some fun," Ashla happily said.

/Of course we can,/ Ahsoka said as they approached the field. She could hear people playing, and she didn't want anyone who could possibly be close enough to overhear them to understand. /It sounds like they're playing a physical game, so whatever you do, don't be too good. And don't use the force; they could think that you're cheating, and complain./

/Right. Got it./ Ashla said. "Oh, it looks like this is it." To the left of the trail was a large field in a clearing, with closely chopped green grass. It was relatively flat, with only a few small areas that were lower than the rest of the field. Ahsoka could tell that the group of about thirty-five teenagers and a few adults were playing a two team game that revolved around a single small ball, and they were throwing it at each other. When one of them would get hit, they sat down until they person who had hit them was also hit with the ball.

The game soon moved closer to where the girls were standing, and one of the teams was chasing after a brown-skinned girl. Ashla had observed that the human girl had "got out" three of the opposing team's players, and it certainly looked like this girl was about to be out herself. Her guess proved to be correct when the girl squealed as the ball made contact with her side.

The game moved away to the other side of the field again, but Ashla stopped watching it. Instead, she became excited to see a variation of the Human that was rarer than the rest. She honestly wouldn't care normally, but if this human was rarer, chances were that she would accept them better.

Ashla turned and gave a little nod of her head to Ahsoka, and walked a little forward until she was directly to the human girl's left-hand side, just two feet away from her. She didn't notice Ashla at all because she was too focused on the game and her teammates.

Due to her failure to notice her own presence beside her, Ashla made herself known, and politely coughed. The girl glanced to her left, and was immediately very fearful. Ashla sensed this, and offered her hand in greeting, like they had both done with the adults earlier. "The name's Ashla Ta," she said.

"T-Tina... Bondercheif," Tina said, and she shook Ashla's hand she saw Ahsoka, and gulped. "So you're the-"

"Togruta," Ahsoka and Ashla said in unison, interrupting Tina. They knew she was about to say alien, and they wanted to avoid being called that as much as they could.

"And my name is Ahsoka Tano," Ahsoka said. Then, knowing what Ashla wanted to do, she asked, "Can we play the game with you?"

Tina was creeped out, and wasn't sure how to respond. Luckily for her, she never needed too. "Hey Tina," one of the older girls yelled in their general direction. "You're- oh. Whoa. Oh. My. Gosh. Are those two who I think they are?"

The game forgotten, everyone turned to look. Macy was one of the closest to Tina's position, and she saw two girls with what appeared to be white and blue-striped tails on their heads. "Uh, Ruth? Is that them?"

"Yes," Ruth replied, "That's certainly them."

Ahsoka and Ashla made their way to the center of the field, where the camp leaders had already gathered. By the time they were there, so was everyone else. They introduced themselves again, and then Ashla repeated Ahsoka's question. "May we play the game with you?"

"I don't see why not," the camp game leader named Pricilla said. "The game's called Canadian Dodgeball."

"But that's what kids in India that someone visited called it," Macy interrupted. "Nobody else that we know of calls it that."

"That's true enough," Pricilla laughed. "Anyway, I assume you don't know how to play?" It was more of a statement than a question, but she was surprised at the answer she received.

"Yes, we know how to play it," Ahsoka said. "We've been watching you play for the past half hour."

Pricilla blinked rapidly, trying to process this new piece of information. "Right. Well in that case we might as well begin by choosing what kind of teams we want to have."

Ahsoka tuned to Ashla and spoke in Togruti, /I think that was a little too awkward for them./

Ashla snickered at this and said, /Sense that they're creeped out, I do./ Like other younglings, she could never stop making fun of Master Yoda's way of speaking.

Not sure what to make of the alien's apparent joke to themselves, another game leader asked, "Compared to the average human teenager, how good are you? Physically, I mean."

Ashla glanced at Ahsoka, and then looked at her feet. "Uh, are species is... weaker. The two of us? Vastly superior. In basically everything," she said.

Ahsoka hoped that they didn't take offense to Ashla's truthful statement, and she was thankful when they did not.

"We're going to split off into teams of four, okay? Half-alliances are allowed, as before," Pricilla said. "You have two minutes to choose your teams and decide on a strategy if you so wish."

After debating between each other who they were going to team up with, Ruth finally gave up arguing. "We're going with Ahsoka and Ashla then. I guess they're too good with things like this too pass up," she said.

"That's an interesting thing coming from you," Ahsoka said, overhearing Ruth. "You tend to keep your distance."

Macy gave her friend a look that said everything. Clearing her throat, Ruth said, "Yeah, and about that-"

"Three! Two! One! Go!" One of the campers threw the ball into the air, and the game began. Ruth didn't get a chance to continue, and Ahsoka hastily reminded Ashla not to use the force.

Macy was the first person who got the ball, and she threw it wildly into the group, hoping to hit someone on another team. She unfortunately missed, and the ball hit the dirt. Ahsoka sprinted and reached the ball, throwing it at a girl to her right, and was able to get her out.

The teenagers spread out on the field to help speed up the ball's movement for their team. To move the ball, it had to been rolled or passed. Once a person had the ball, they could only roll once, and then they had to try and hit someone or pass it. To pass the ball, they had to bounce it as well. If they didn't bounce it and someone caught it while it was in the air, the person who threw it would be out. When they spread out like they were doing currently, it allowed the team mates to get it wherever they wanted with ease.

Ahsoka was running over to Macy to tell her what girl she though their team should target next, when she heard the ball coming up behind her. Just before it made contact with her back, she dropped to the ground on all fours. She could pick up on the ball's movements with her montrals, so this gave her an advantage.

Grabbing the ball, which had landed in front of her after it had barely missed, Ahsoka threw it at the person who had been the source of that throw. She didn't miss. _"So, the 'aliens' know what their doing," _she thought laughingly to herself. Nobody had expected them to do well, except for Ruth and Macy. Not only did they do well and win the game, but they enjoyed it as well.

By the time the game was over, everyone had accepted Ahsoka no Ashla just a little more than they would have otherwise. Even if they weren't human, clearly they were girl too, and could have fun. Their appearance did not matter as much anymore to some of the girls at the camp, and while it was very little improvement over earlier, it was a step in the correct direction.

_Dong. Dong. Dong. _"Okay everyone, it looks like it is lunch time! If you have any things outside, please grab them, and then head to the dining hall. You can out them in your cabin after lunch," said Pricilla.

Ahsoka and Ashla went towards their backpacks, out them on, and then briskly walked in the direction the camp councilor had instructed them to go. Ignoring the frequent glances of curiosity in their direction, they talked about life before the war. Ahsoka was the only one who had a lot of memories of what life was like before it, and while Ashla had a few, she was nine when it had started. As a result, she didn't remember much.

"I don't think I have had so much fun in a long time," Ashla remarked. "After the war started even us younglings had less games and more training."

"What, scrapping droids wasn't fun?" Ahsoka joked. "Master Skywalker and I had quite a bit of fun turning the tin cans into scraps." Well, that was only partly true, but she didn't like thinking about it. Even Anakin would admit that being a ranking officer had out a lot of stress on him, and so it made their games more like a way to release stress. It wasn't fun; it was a painkiller.

"Master Ti and I scrapped very little droids" Ashla said. "Our missions consisted mostly of spying and clone training. Just boring, tense, and deadly stuff like that."

"Ha, my missions weren't that boring! I saved some of our people from slavery by pretending to be a slave girl. Now that's what I call exciting," Ahsoka retorted.

"That's only because you're older," Ashla said, pretending to pout.

"You're impossible," Ahsoka laughed.

"Whatever you say, Miss Tano."

**AhsokaNerd's Corner**

Wow, chapter 18! This was by far my longest chapter ever, and I'm really proud of it. While there are portions I still think could have been written better, the way things flowed so smoothly was a good thing I think. There were significantly less time breaks in this chapter than most of my long chapters, and the result was something I am proud to say that I wrote.

Rebecca learned more about Ahsoka's past, which I felt was very important. She doesn't know everything though.

I also enjoyed writing the playful attitude of Ashla. She's younger, and has gone through only a little bit of the Clone Wars (she became a padawan shortly before Ahsoka left the order, in my timeline. That's why Shaak Ti wasn't there to try and get Ahsoka to re-join the order - she and her new padawan Ahsla were on their first mission).

I'd like to especially thank Count Mallet for recently deciding to go through this story and review it. He has a ton of errors, and I plan on fixing them as soon as possible.

A reader brought to my attention that Ahsoka is not listed as the primary character. This has now been resolved, and I'd like to thank you for pointing it out.

As several people have noted, yes, Leia and Luke are listed in the primary characters list. They will be appearing much later in this story, during the epic conclusion of part one. I'm (overly) excited for this part, because I've been planning the plot for this for weeks!

Maddie will return in the next chapter, and we're going to also see what begins to happen with that information the late Padawan Petro sent out (yes, he was a padawan in my timeline).

Thank you so much for reading, and please a review (even if you hate it). Feedback, good or bad, is very helpful.


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